NeuroGlance Inc.
Headquarters: Kyoto, Japan
Founded: 2023 (Kyoto University spin-out)
Focus: Novel PET tracers and neuroimaging biomarkers for Alzheimer's disease
Website: https://www.neuroglance.jp
Overview
NeuroGlance Inc. is a Kyoto University spin-out company developing next-generation PET (positron emission tomography) tracers and neuroimaging biomarkers for the diagnosis and monitoring of Alzheimer's disease. The company was founded based on breakthrough research from Kyoto University's Graduate School of Medicine and the RIKEN Center for Brain Science, combining expertise in radiochemistry, neuroimaging, and clinical neurology[@neuroglance2024].
The core insight driving NeuroGlance's platform is that early and accurate diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease is fundamental to effective treatment. Current amyloid-beta PET imaging with tracers like [18F]florbetapir and [18F]flutemetamol has transformed research and clinical practice, but there remains an urgent need for tracers that can visualize tau pathology, neuroinflammation, synaptic dysfunction, and other disease-relevant processes in living patients[@pet_tau_2023]. NeuroGlance is building a pipeline of novel radiotracers targeting these mechanisms.
Scientific Foundation
Current PET Imaging Landscape
...NeuroGlance Inc.
Headquarters: Kyoto, Japan
Founded: 2023 (Kyoto University spin-out)
Focus: Novel PET tracers and neuroimaging biomarkers for Alzheimer's disease
Website: https://www.neuroglance.jp
Overview
NeuroGlance Inc. is a Kyoto University spin-out company developing next-generation PET (positron emission tomography) tracers and neuroimaging biomarkers for the diagnosis and monitoring of Alzheimer's disease. The company was founded based on breakthrough research from Kyoto University's Graduate School of Medicine and the RIKEN Center for Brain Science, combining expertise in radiochemistry, neuroimaging, and clinical neurology[@neuroglance2024].
The core insight driving NeuroGlance's platform is that early and accurate diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease is fundamental to effective treatment. Current amyloid-beta PET imaging with tracers like [18F]florbetapir and [18F]flutemetamol has transformed research and clinical practice, but there remains an urgent need for tracers that can visualize tau pathology, neuroinflammation, synaptic dysfunction, and other disease-relevant processes in living patients[@pet_tau_2023]. NeuroGlance is building a pipeline of novel radiotracers targeting these mechanisms.
Scientific Foundation
Current PET Imaging Landscape
The introduction of amyloid-beta PET tracers revolutionized Alzheimer's disease research, enabling visualization of amyloid pathology in living brains decades before clinical symptom onset[@amyloid_pet]. However, amyloid-beta burden correlates only weakly with clinical symptoms and cognitive decline, whereas tau pathology — visualized with second-generation tau tracers like [18F]flortaucipir — shows much stronger correlations with cognitive impairment and disease progression[@pet_tau_2023].
Beyond amyloid and tau, several other imaging targets are emerging:
- Translocator protein (TSPO) for microglial activation and neuroinflammation[@neuro_inflammation_pet]
- Monoamine oxidase B (MAO-B) for astrocyte reactivity
- synaptic vesicle protein 2A (SV2A) for synaptic density[@pet_astro]
- 11C-PK11195 and newer TSPO tracers for neuroinflammatory imaging
NeuroGlance's Differentiated Approach
NeuroGlance focuses on three underserved imaging targets:
Alpha-synuclein PET tracers for Lewy body diseases and Parkinson's disease dementia
Neuroinflammatory markers beyond TSPO, targeting novel inflammatory pathways
Synaptic integrity imaging to measure functional synaptic density as a marker of disease progressionThe company has developed proprietary radiolabeling chemistry enabling rapid, high-yield synthesis of PET tracers from precursor molecules, addressing the significant challenge of bringing new tracers from bench to bedside.
Pipeline
NG-201 (Lead Program)
Target: Neuroinflammation (novel TSPO-independent target)
Stage: Preclinical (radiochemistry optimization)
Indication: Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease
NG-201 targets a novel inflammatory pathway implicated in Alzheimer's disease progression. Unlike first-generation TSPO tracers that have variable background binding and limited sensitivity, NG-201 provides superior signal-to-noise ratio in preclinical models[@brain_minds]. The compound is being developed for early detection of neuroinflammatory changes that precede amyloid and tau pathology.
NG-202 (Secondary Program)
Target: Synaptic vesicle protein 2A (SV2A)
Stage: Preclinical (lead optimization)
Indication: Alzheimer's disease, frontotemporal dementia
NG-202 targets SV2A, a presynaptic protein whose density decreases with synaptic loss in neurodegeneration. The compound is designed to quantify synaptic density non-invasively, providing a biomarker for disease progression and treatment response that complements amyloid and tau imaging.
NG-203 (Research Stage)
Target: Alpha-synuclein aggregates
Stage: Hit-to-lead
Indication: Parkinson's disease, Dementia with Lewy bodies
Alpha-synuclein PET imaging remains an unmet need — no approved tracer exists for in vivo visualization of alpha-synuclein pathology. NeuroGlance's approach leverages the company's radiochemistry expertise to develop tracers with high affinity and selectivity for alpha-synuclein aggregates over amyloid-beta and tau fibrils.
NeuroGlance's platform consists of:
Radiochemistry library of novel lead structures optimized for brain penetration and target binding
Structure-activity relationship (SAR) platform enabling rapid optimization of binding affinity, selectivity, and pharmacokinetics
Translational imaging pipeline from cellular binding assays through primate PET to human clinical studies
Partnership with Kyoto University Hospital for access to patient populations for clinical validationResearch Collaboration
NeuroGlance participates in Japan's Brain/MINDS (Brain/MINDS: Brain Mapping by Integrated Neurotechnologies for Disease Studies) project, a national neuroimaging initiative[@brain_minds]. This collaboration provides access to:
- Large patient cohorts with multimodal imaging data
- Precompetitive access to novel radiochemistry scaffolds
- Clinical validation infrastructure at leading Japanese neurology centers
Connection to NeuroWiki Topics
NeuroGlance's work intersects with multiple key mechanisms and topics in NeuroWiki:
- [Neuroinflammation pathway in Alzheimer's disease](/mechanisms/ad-neuroinflammation-microglia-pathway)
- [NLRP3 inflammasome in neurodegeneration](/mechanisms/nlrp3-inflammasome)
- [TSPO PET imaging for neuroinflammation](/mechanisms/tspo-pet-imaging-neuroinflammation)
- [Dementia with Lewy bodies pathway](/mechanisms/dementia-lewy-bodies-pathway)
- [Parkinson's disease biomarkers](/mechanisms/pd-biomarkers-therapeutic-targets)
- [Alpha-synuclein propagation model](/experiments/alpha-synuclein-propagation-model-validation)