Oryon shines out of stealth with $21M to fight Parkinson's disease

Summary: Ron Cohen is back! The biotech boss and son of a brain doctor couldn't stay away from helping people. His new company, Oryon, just came out of hiding with $21 million to fight Parkinson's disease. Parkinson's happens when the brain stops making dopamine, a chemical that controls movement.

Most new treatments try to plant tiny "seed" cells into the brain, hoping they will grow into dopamine-making cells. But Oryon is trying something different. They are putting fully grown dopamine cells (called A9 neurons) straight into just one side of the brain. This lets doctors compare the treated side to the untreated side in the same person! The early results were so good that Cohen said the data "sang" to him. They hope this new method will safely help patients get their movement back without needing risky "fake" surgeries just to test if it works.

For more details, see rssapp-fiercebiotech-com at fiercebiotech.com/biotech/oryon-shines-out-stealth-21m-fight-parkinsons-disease (opens in new tab)