NuNerve Advances MND Therapy to Phase 2 Trial

The Queensland Brain Institute-developed NUN-004 therapy will be tested in a 75-participant national trial across six Australian sites.

Updated on Nov. 10, 2026 in Stroke

Clear glass vials of pale amber liquid in a steel tray on a white laboratory bench, lit by soft window daylight. — Phase 2 trial of NuNerve's NUN-004 motor neurone disease therapy will enroll 75 participants across six Australian clinical sites. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

NuNerve has advanced NUN-004, a motor neurone disease therapy developed at The University of Queensland's Queensland Brain Institute, to a national Phase 2 clinical trial. The trial will recruit 75 participants across six Australian clinical sites.

Why it matters

NUN-004 is designed to inhibit excessive signalling of the EphA4 receptor, which has been linked to motor neuron degeneration and impaired nerve repair. If confirmed, the trial findings would represent an important result for people living with MND across Australia.

The Phase 2 trial will recruit 75 participants across six Australian sites, following research spanning more than 25 years at the Queensland Brain Institute. Trial results on efficacy have not yet been reported.

The players

NuNerve

NuNerve is the company established by UniQuest and the Estate Peter Goodenough Unit Trust to commercialise the NUN-004 therapy.

The University of Queensland

The University of Queensland is a public research university whose Queensland Brain Institute developed the research behind NUN-004.

The details

NUN-004 is a protein-based therapy that advances from earlier trial results developed at the Queensland Brain Institute. The trial will assess change in function, safety and tolerability, respiratory, neurophysiological, quality-of-life and biomarker measures at sites on the Sunshine Coast, in Sydney, Newcastle, Brisbane and Perth.

9 November 2026: NuNerve and UQ announced the Phase 2 trial advancement.

Big Picture

The move extends more than 25 years of EphA4 receptor research at the Queensland Brain Institute into clinical testing in people. It marks a step from laboratory findings toward assessing whether the approach can be translated into a treatment for motor neurone disease.

For people living with motor neurone disease, the trial is an early step rather than an available treatment. Participation in the Phase 2 study would be limited to the 75 enrolled participants at the six listed clinical sites.

The takeaway

Advancing a therapy into Phase 2 trials is a necessary step, but outcomes will determine whether NUN-004 can help people living with motor neurone disease. Readers should watch for trial results before drawing conclusions about its effectiveness.