Rewind Therapeutics has secured additional financing to advance its lead GPR17 antagonist program, a potential disease-modifying oral therapy designed to promote remyelination and restore neurological function in people with multiple sclerosis.
The Leuven, Belgium-based biotechnology company is developing small-molecule therapies intended to restore myelin in demyelinating diseases. Rewind plans to use the new funding to complete key IND-enabling studies for its lead GPR17 antagonist program as it moves the candidate toward clinical development.
Multiple sclerosis is a chronic neurological disease characterized by damage to myelin, the protective coating surrounding nerve fibers. Existing therapies can help control inflammatory disease activity, but Rewind noted that there are currently no approved therapies specifically designed to restore lost myelin and repair damaged nerves.
Rewind’s approach centers on GPR17, which the company is investigating as a potential therapeutic target for promoting myelin repair. Its strategy involves selectively antagonizing GPR17 with an orally administered small molecule to encourage remyelination and potentially translate structural repair into improvements in neurological function.
The new financing follows the publication of peer-reviewed preclinical research supporting the program.
In July 2026, Rewind scientists and collaborators at the Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience and Amsterdam UMC published research in PLOS ONE titled “Selective GPR17 antagonism enhances structural and functional recovery in animal models of demyelination.”
The research found that once-daily oral treatment with a selective GPR17 antagonist accelerated remyelination and improved functional outcomes in both acute and chronic models of demyelination.
Post-mortem analysis of tissue from people with multiple sclerosis also found that GPR17-expressing oligodendrocyte precursor cells accumulated within and around demyelinated lesions. In comparison, remyelinated lesions showed little or no GPR17 expression.
Rewind said these findings support the role of GPR17 as a negative regulator of myelin repair and provide additional biological rationale for targeting the receptor therapeutically.
In acute and chronic cuprizone models, treatment with a selective Rewind GPR17 antagonist accelerated remyelination in the corpus callosum and optic nerve.
The treatment was also associated with functional improvements. These included normalization of delays in visual evoked potential latency, a measure related to nerve conduction along the visual pathway, as well as improved spatial memory performance.
For Rewind, demonstrating functional recovery in addition to new myelin formation is an important component of the development strategy. The company is seeking to determine whether targeting GPR17 can not only promote structural repair but also restore neurological function affected by demyelination.
Rewind plans to continue advancing its lead candidate through IND-enabling studies while building on its preclinical and translational evidence around GPR17.
The company is also evaluating the broader biology surrounding the target. Emerging preclinical evidence cited by Rewind suggests GPR17 could have a role beyond demyelinating diseases, including in metabolic regulation and obesity.
KEY QUOTES:
“Having secured additional funding, we are well positioned to advance our GPR17 program towards its next value-inflection point. The recent data support both the biology and therapeutic potential of GPR17 antagonism and strengthen our confidence as we advance the program towards clinical development.”
Jim Van heusden, Executive Chair of Rewind Therapeutics
“While many approaches can demonstrate new myelin formation, the critical question is whether this translates into functional recovery. Our data show that oral GPR17 antagonism improves both nerve conduction along the visual pathway and cognitive performance, supported by human MS tissue findings that reinforce the underlying biology. As we advance our lead program through IND-enabling studies, emerging preclinical evidence also points to a broader role for GPR17 in metabolic regulation, including obesity.”
Irene Knuesel, PhD, Chief Scientific Officer of Rewind Therapeutics
