Transpharmation Ltd. Announces Strategic Acquisition of OrganoTherapeutics SARL
TORONTO, Oct. 28, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Transpharmation Ltd., a science-led global leader in neuroscience, pain and metabolic disease preclinical contract research, is pleased to announce its acquisition of OrganoTherapeutics SARL, a leader in patient-derived organoid technologies that advance the discovery and development of novel therapies for neurodegenerative/ CNS disorders.
Following decades of slow progress, discovery in the neurodegenerative space has entered a new era. Our understanding and treatment of debilitating diseases such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's is rapidly transforming as we are seeing worldwide breakthroughs in genetics, biomarkers, patient-derived cellular models, organoids and translational neuroscience.
Commenting on the acquisition, Dr. Mark Duxon, CEO of Transpharmation Ltd., stated: "Transpharmation has built a reputation for translational in vivo pharmacology over the last 25 years. With the acquisition of OrganoTherapeutics we are taking our first step in the fulfilment of our ambition to build translational CRO services that include human tissues and systems. We see a clear future for the business in the provision of non-animal models alongside our preclinical pharmacology. Drug discovery requires better prediction of drug action and efficacy prior to clinical trials. We believe that being at the forefront of patient-derived 3D organoid work, particularly in the Neurology space, will help provide our clients with increased confidence in their molecules and targets."
OrganoTherapeutics will continue to operate as a subsidiary of Transpharmation Ltd., with a seamless transition fostering collaboration to amplify the strength of both organizations. The Co-Founder of OrganoTherapeutics, Dr. Jens Schwamborn, responded by saying: "Joining Transpharmation is a logical next step for OrganoTherapeutics. Over the last few years, we have built human iPSC-derived brain organoid and assembloid models for Parkinson's, Huntington's, ALS and other neurodegenerative diseases, and we have used them in many studies for pharma and biotech partners. Together with Transpharmation's long experience in translational in vivo pharmacology, we can now offer clients both approaches under one roof and help them to take better decisions earlier in drug development."
Through the acquisition, Transpharmation and OrganoTherapeutics will bring together complementary expertise in translational neuroscience and human stem cell-derived organoid technology. The combined capabilities will enable biopharma sponsors to investigate disease biology, validate targets and evaluate novel therapeutics using both advanced human-relevant models and established translational research platforms. By integrating these approaches, Transpharmation aims to provide a more predictive path from discovery to development and help accelerate innovation in neurodegenerative disease research.
As researchers gain access to more predictive human-relevant systems and vast biological insights, discoveries are emerging at an increasingly rapid pace. The therapeutic landscape for these areas is in active transformation, and a large team of organoid and neurodegenerative disease experts with a breadth of knowledge in the field provides ideal toolkit for researchers.
About Human Stem Cell-Derived Brain Organoids
Brain organoids are miniature, lab-grown models of human brain tissue made from stem cells donated by healthy volunteers or patients. They contain many of the brain's key cell types, so scientists can study brain diseases such as Parkinson's in real human cells and test promising new treatments more effectively before clinical trials.
Luxembourg-based OrganoTherapeutics specializes in patient-specific midbrain organoid and assembloid models of Parkinson's, Huntington's, ALS and other neurodegenerative diseases developed from its own research.
About Human-Relevant Models in Neurodegenerative Disease Research
Neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson's, Alzheimer's and ALS slowly damage nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord.
Very few treatments can slow them down, and many medicines that looked promising in early lab work have failed once they reached patients. One reason is that traditional research models, such as animals or simple flat layers of cells, don't fully capture how these diseases behave in the human brain.
Human-relevant models help close that gap. Brain organoids are grown from human stem cells, sometimes from a patient's own cells, so researchers can study disease in living human tissue.
When these models are combined with established preclinical approaches, scientists get a clearer picture of how a potential treatment is likely to work in people. That can help researchers make better decisions earlier, cut down on costly late-stage failures, and bring effective therapies to patients sooner.
About OrganoTherapeutics
OrganoTherapeutics is a Luxembourg based company that develops and applies human iPSC derived brain organoid and assembloid models for drug discovery in neurological diseases. Founded as a spin-off of the University of Luxembourg, the company works with pharmaceutical and biotech partners. Its midbrain, striatal, cortical and hindbrain models are generated from patient derived and genetically engineered cell lines and reproduce key features of human disease, such as the vulnerability of dopaminergic neurons and the formation of neuromelanin in Parkinson's disease. Beyond Parkinson's disease, OrganoTherapeutics runs programs in Huntington's disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, frontotemporal dementia and a range of rare neurological disorders. Its studies cover the full path from model generation and compound testing to imaging, electrophysiology, omics and machine learning-based data analysis.
About Transpharmation
Transpharmation is a contract research organisation led by scientists. Recognised by drug developers worldwide for researching and delivering life-changing medicines, science will always remain our passion. Our clients benefit from decades of experience in cross-species and cross-therapeutic area translational biology throughout our preclinical services. Transpharmation has a strong focus on preclinical evaluation of potential CNS therapeutics including the areas of epilepsy, pain, neurodegeneration, depression, anxiety, schizophrenia and cognition.
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