Cumulus Neuroscience and Transpharmation Partner to Carry Objective EEG Measurement from Preclinical Research into First-in-Human Studies
Transpharmation has entered a strategic partnership with Cumulus Neuroscience, the digital biomarker company behind the NeuLogiq® Platform. Together, we will help CNS drug developers through the move from preclinical research to first-in-human studies. The partnership lines up the quantitative EEG (qEEG) endpoints and behavioural domains in our preclinical models with the same measures captured by NeuLogiq in the clinic and in participants’ homes.
CNS candidates have one of the lowest success rates of any therapeutic area: an estimated 6.7% progress from nonclinical development to FDA approval. One reason is that the way a drug’s effects are measured often changes when it enters the clinic. Controlled electrophysiological and behavioural data give way to infrequent, subjective symptom scales. When an early study then fails, it is hard to tell whether the mechanism, exposure, endpoint or population was at fault.
EEG avoids this problem because it is objective and quantitative, and it can be recorded in much the same way across species. Transpharmation’s sleep EEG and qEEG platform covers rodent and canine models, with 26 endpoints benchmarked against clinical gold standards. Cumulus contributes NeuLogiq, which pairs an FDA 510(k)-cleared, self-applied wireless dry-EEG headset with tablet-based assessments. It is built for use by non-expert clinic staff and patients, both in clinic and at home.
In February 2026, Dr John Huxter, Transpharmation’s Global Head of EEG & Data Science, and Dr Florentine Barbey of Cumulus co-presented a cross-species analysis that used ketamine as a translational probe. Ketamine produced a consistent EEG fingerprint in mouse, rat and dog. A Cumulus study of 30 healthy volunteers found a matching increase in high-frequency power. A separate Transpharmation psilocybin dataset showed REM sleep suppression that tracked plasma psilocin levels. This gives a physiological readout of CNS target engagement rather than an inference from peripheral exposure alone.
“Working with Cumulus means we can help a client design a preclinical EEG and behavioural package knowing precisely how those endpoints will be captured once the programme reaches the clinic,” said Dr Mark Duxon, CEO of Transpharmation. “That is a conversation worth having before a Phase 1 protocol is finalised, not after the data are in.”
Sponsors with CNS assets approaching IND-enabling work or first-in-human study design can contact us to arrange a joint scoping discussion with Cumulus.