LIFE AND BRAIN GMBH

Their core work

Life and Brain GmbH is a Bonn-based private biotech SME specializing in neuroscience research, particularly around neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, and Huntington's. They provide expertise in cell reprogramming, neuronal differentiation, and neuroinflammation biology — translating fundamental brain science into preclinical drug discovery platforms. Their work bridges stem cell biology and disease modeling, contributing to consortia focused on understanding and treating conditions like Alzheimer's through microglia-targeted approaches and neural cell reconstruction strategies.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

In their early H2020 period (2015–2017), Life and Brain participated in broad science communication (EuroStemCell) and psychiatric comorbidity research (COSYN), suggesting a generalist role in brain science with outreach capacity. From 2017 onward, their focus sharpened dramatically toward neurodegenerative disease mechanisms — Alzheimer's neuroinflammation (PHAGO), pain-related neural modeling (NGN-PET), and cell-based neural reconstruction (NSC-Reconstruct). The trajectory shows a clear pivot from broad neuroscience engagement to deep specialization in neurodegeneration therapeutics and cell-based repair strategies.

Life and Brain is converging on cell-based therapeutic approaches for neurodegenerative diseases, making them a strong fit for future consortia in regenerative neurology and precision neuroinflammation research.

How they like to work

Life and Brain operates exclusively as a consortium participant — they have never coordinated an H2020 project, preferring a specialist contributor role within larger teams. With 63 unique partners across 16 countries from just 5 projects, they are embedded in large, international consortia (averaging 12+ partners per project). This pattern suggests they bring focused technical capabilities — likely lab-based expertise or disease models — rather than project management leadership.

Despite only 5 projects, Life and Brain has built a remarkably wide network of 63 unique partners spanning 16 countries, indicating they consistently join large pan-European consortia. Their base in Bonn positions them within Germany's strong neuroscience research corridor.

What sets them apart

Life and Brain sits at the intersection of academic neuroscience and commercial biotech — a private SME with deep expertise in disease-specific cell models that many university groups lack the agility to provide. Their combination of stem cell biology, neuroinflammation research, and drug discovery platform development makes them a versatile partner who can contribute both biological know-how and translational capacity. For consortium builders, they offer a rare profile: a small, specialized company that has already proven itself across multiple large IMI and RIA projects.

Highlights from their portfolio

• PHAGO
  Largest funded project (EUR 451,250) under IMI2, targeting specific Alzheimer's-related microglial receptors TREM2 and CD33 — a highly focused therapeutic angle.
• NSC-Reconstruct
  Most recent project (2020–2024), tackling cell-based neural reconstruction for multiple neurodegenerative diseases including Parkinson's and Huntington's — signals their current strategic direction.
• NGN-PET
  Built a neuron-glia network drug discovery platform for pain treatments, demonstrating their ability to translate basic neuroscience into commercial drug screening tools.