January 8, 2026 - NeuCyte, Inc (Mountain View, CA) is proud to announce it has been awarded the 2025 KCNT1 Epilepsy Foundation Innovation Grant, marking an important milestone in advancing a new therapeutic approach for individuals affected by KCNT1-related disorders. 

 

Led by Drs. Wayne Poon, Ricardo Ramirez, and Angela Duong, the grant will support the development of a one-time therapeutic designed to address the full spectrum of known KCNT1 mutations that cause severe developmental and epileptic encephalopathies.  

 

NeuCyte leverages New Approach Methodologies (NAMs), including patient-derived induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)-derived neuronal models, to generate human-relevant insights that improve the translatability of preclinical research. These models are designed to complement animal studies while reducing reliance on them, helping accelerate the translation of discoveries into patient-ready therapies. 

 

NeuCyte is deeply grateful to the KCNT1 Epilepsy Foundation and its donor community for their partnership and shared commitment to transforming scientific progress into real hope for individuals and families living with KCNT1-related disorders. 

 

About NeuCyte, Inc. 

NeuCyte is a biotechnology company focused on CNS drug discovery. Building on its proprietary SynFire® technology for generating human iPSC-derived neural cells, NeuCyte has developed functional, human cell-based platforms to advance drug discovery efforts across neurodegenerative and neurological diseases. 

 

For more information, visit www.neucyte.com

 

About the KCNT1 Epilepsy Foundation 

The KCNT1 Epilepsy Foundation is dedicated to accelerating the discovery of disease-modifying treatments for KCNT1-related epilepsies. The Foundation connects affected families, elevates patient and caregiver perspectives for clinicians, researchers, and industry partners worldwide, and supports preclinical and clinical research aimed at developing a cure. 

 

For more information, visit https://kcnt1epilepsy.org 

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Contact information:

Wayne Poon, PhD

NeuCyte, Inc

319 N Bernardo Avenue

Mountain View, CA

wayne.poon@neucyte.com