Baltimore startup developing ‘pain sponge’ therapy closes pre-seed funding round

SereNeuro Therapeutics, a Johns Hopkins University spinout, secured a $318,000 NIH grant to develop a non-opioid treatment for osteoarthritis pain. Its lead candidate, SN101, aims to reduce pain by absorbing pain and inflammatory signals directly within affected joints. Early research includes primate testing and analysis of joint fluid from human osteoarthritis patients. The company is preparing for a November 2026 FDA meeting to discuss the next steps toward clinical development.