Neurocarrus

Neurocarrus is a pharmaceutical startup that’s developing a life-changing pain medication.

Its drug candidate — N-001 — provides relief from severe and chronic pain. But here’s the thing: because this drug can’t enter the brain, it can’t cause addiction. It provides pain relief that's as effective as today’s prescription drugs — without side effects on the muscles, balance, or brain.

Neurocarrus’ drug acts like a dimmer switch on neurons without blocking sensation. And because the drug is a very large protein, its size prevents it from diffusing inside the body and blocks entry into the brain. This is how the drug prevents addiction.

Neurocarrus has received more than three million dollars in funding, including from the National Institutes of Health (NIH). It’s also partnered with Stanford Medical School and the Veterans Administration in Palo Alto, California. Notably, Neurocarrus was accepted into the U.S. NIH Preclinical-Screening Platform for Pain.

Team Background

Paul Blum - Co-Founder & CEO

Paul has spent more than thirty years working in cell engineering and microbiology.

Throughout his career, he’s assisted several pharmaceutical companies with commercial
drug developments, specifically protein-related medications.

According to Paul, he was the person “brought in to fix drugs that were having problems late in their development.”

This experience will be very helpful for Neurocarrus, and we believe it increases its odds for success.

Prior to starting the company, Blum served as a professor at the University of Nebraska for nearly thirty years. He’s also been an adjunct professor at the University of California, Santa Cruz.

Paul earned a Ph.D. in Microbiology from the University of California, Davis.

Derek Allen - Research Scientist

Prior to joining Neurocarrus in 2023, Derek spent six years as a Doctoral Candidate at the University of Nebraska. His focus was on biomedical research and protein engineering.

Before that, he was a research assistant at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and South Dakota State University.

He earned a Bachelor’s degree in Microbiology from South Dakota State and a Ph.D. in Microbiology from the University of Nebraska.

Jianguo Cheng - Board Member

For eighteen years, Jianguo has worked as a Professor of Anesthesiology and Director of the Cleveland Clinic Pain Medicine Fellowship Program. In addition, he was an Assistant Professor of Neurological Surgery at the University of Louisville.

He was formerly the Head of Neurophysiology and Neurochemistry Labs at Qingdao University Medical College.

Jianguo earned a Bachelor’s degree in Medicine from Qingdao University and a Ph.D. in Biophysics from the University of Guelph. He also completed a Pain Medicine Fellowship program through Harvard Medical School.

Co-Investors