Neocor Therapeutics, a young biotechnology company stemming from academic research in Marseille, is among the laureates of the national i-Lab 2025 competition, organized within the framework of France 2030. This distinction, accompanied by a 370K€ grant, will enable it to accelerate the clinical translation of its breakthrough innovation, a curative gene therapy capable of regenerating the heart after severe damage caused by myocardial infarction or dilated cardiomyopathy, a hereditary disease that progressively weakens and dilates the heart muscle.
A major unmet medical need
Currently available treatments for heart failure neither address the loss of cardiac muscle cells nor the development of fibrotic tissue that stiffens the heart. Instead, they are limited to slowing disease progression without offering a curative solution. Confronted with this significant unmet medical need, over 33,000 new patients are diagnosed annually with dilated cardiomyopathies in Europe and the United States, eagerly anticipating a therapeutic innovation capable of improving their vital prognosis.
A disruptive innovation based on cardiac regeneration
The therapy developed by Neocor Therapeutics is based on a unique mechanism of action, centered on a protein identified and patented by the founding team. Administered via a viral vector, this gene-drug operates through three complementary modes of action. It prevents the death of cardiac cells following myocardial injury, activates their regeneration by restoring their proliferative capacity, and inhibits the formation of fibrotic tissue that compromises proper cardiac muscle function. A single intravenous injection is thus expected to durably restore cardiac function, marking a significant departure from current approaches that merely slow disease progression.
Clinical acceleration
Benefiting from Eurobiomed's GO4BIO acceleration program, the company aims to initiate large-scale production according to pharmaceutical standards as early as 2026, followed by the regulatory studies required to launch a first Phase I/II clinical trial in 2027. « This recognition by France 2030 through the i-Lab competition validates the breakthrough nature of our therapeutic approach », states Matthieu Metz, CEO and co-founder of Neocor Therapeutics. « This grant will enable us to accelerate our preclinical and regulatory development to offer patients a genuine curative solution more rapidly, shifting from a disease-slowing approach to true heart regeneration. »
Find more information here on all Eurobiomed's i-Lab 2025 laureates
