Neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer’s, affect almost one million people in the UK alone. Huntington’s disease, an inherited brain condition, affects over 7,000 people.
Treatment options for these and other devastating brain disorders are either limited or non-existent.
University of Cambridge spinout TRIMTECH Therapeutics is developing targeted protein degradation therapies to treat neurodegenerative diseases by eliminating toxic protein aggregates while preserving healthy proteins. Many neurodegenerative conditions arise when unwanted proteins build up in the body, forming aggregates that disrupt essential cellular processes and lead to cell injury. TRIMTECH is harnessing the natural function of the E3 ubiquitin ligase, TRIM21, which normally degrades oligomeric antibody-coated viruses from infected cells. To do this, the company is using its proprietary small molecular degraders to selectively degrade other large protein complexes, such as disease-causing protein aggregates, which are largely intractable to current therapeutic approaches. By harnessing targeted protein degradation in this way, the company aims to develop new treatment options for large of patient populations with urgent unmet needs.
“We’re delighted to support TRIMTECH Therapeutics on its journey to transform treatment for neurodegenerative and inflammatory disorders, potentially improving outcomes for the millions of patients facing these
debilitating diseases.”
The company is founded on two decades of pioneering research into the biology of TRIM21, led by its academic co-founders Dr Leo James, Group Leader at the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, and Professor William McEwan, Group Leader at the UK Dementia Research Institute at the University of Cambridge.
In March 2025, the company secured $31 million (£25 million) in seed funding to progress its central nervous system penetrant therapeutics, which are built around its TRIMTAC™ aggregate selective degraders. The pipeline is focused on treatments for severe neurodegenerative and inflammatory disorders, including Alzheimer’s and Huntington’s disease. The seed round was led by Cambridge Innovation Capital and SV Health Investors’ Dementia Discovery Fund, with M Ventures and Pfizer Ventures joining. Cambridge Enterprise Ventures and other additional investors also participated in the round.
Cambridge Enterprise has supported TRIMTECH Therapeutics across many phases of its commercialisation journey from early research to spinout and investment.
