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Bionomics Limited, a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company, discovers and develops novel drug candidates for the treatment of central nervous system disorders and cancers in Australia and the United States. The company's lead drug candidate includes BNC210, a negative allosteric modulator of the a7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor, which has completed phase 2 clinical trial for the treatment of social anxiety disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder.
It also develops BNC375, a small molecule therapeutics for the treatment of cognitive impairment in Alzheimer's disease; BNC101, a monoclonal antibody that has completed phase 1 clinical trial that targets cancer stem cells; and BNC105, a vascular disrupting agent, which is in phase 2 clinical trial for the treatment of refractory colorectal cancer, and phase 1 clinical trial for the treatment of patients with relapsed/refractory chronic lymphocytic leukemia. Bionomics Limited has a licensing agreement with Merck & Co., Inc. The company was incorporated in 1996 and is based in Eastwood, Australia.
Focused CNS Pipeline
Bionomics is developing novel, allosteric ion channel modulators designed to transform the lives of patients suffering from serious central nervous system (“CNS”) disorders with high unmet medical need.

Ion channels serve as important mediators of physiological function in the CNS and the modulation of ion channels influences neurotransmission that leads to downstream signaling in the brain. The α7 nicotinic acetylcholine (“ACh”) receptor (“α7 receptor”) is an ion channel that plays an important role in driving emotional responses and cognitive performance. Utilizing our expertise in ion channel biology and translational medicine, we are developing orally active small molecule negative allosteric modulators (“NAMs”) and positive allosteric modulators (“PAMs”) of the α7 receptor to treat anxiety and stressor-related disorders and cognitive dysfunction, respectively.
Our expertise and approach have been validated through our June 2014 research collaboration and license agreement with Merck & Co. for our α7 receptor PAM program, which targets a receptor that has garnered significant attention for treating cognitive deficits. This partnership enables us to maximize the value of our ion channel and chemistry platforms and develop transformative medicines for patients suffering from cognitive disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease.