# Nocion Therapeutics, Inc.

> Nocion Therapeutics is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company in the Boston area developing a new class of small-molecule 'charged' sodium channel blockers - nocions - that selectively, locally, and durably silence overactive sensory neurons (nociceptors) without numbing everything else. Its lead candidate, taplucainium, is an inhaled powder aimed at refractory and unexplained chronic cough, with broader potential across itch, pain, and neurogenic inflammation. The science was born in the Harvard Medical School and Boston Children's Hospital labs of Bruce Bean and Clifford Woolf.

- **Founded:** 2017
- **Headquarters:** Watertown, Massachusetts, United States
- **Founders:** Bruce Bean (Scientific Co-Founder (Robert Winthrop Professor of Neurobiology, Harvard Medical School)), Clifford Woolf (Scientific Co-Founder (Professor of Neurobiology, Harvard Medical School / Boston Children's Hospital)), Bruce Levy (Scientific Co-Founder), Richard Batycky (President & CEO)
- **Team size:** ~18 employees
- **Products:** Taplucainium (NOC-110 / formerly NTX-1175), Nocion platform (charged sodium channel blockers)
- **Notable:** Pioneered the 'charged sodium channel blocker' (nocion) drug class translating Bean & Woolf's Nature-published neuroscience into a clinical program, Advanced lead candidate taplucainium from discovery to Phase 2b in chronic cough, Raised approximately $122 million in total venture funding

## Products & services

- **Taplucainium (NOC-110 / formerly NTX-1175)** — First-in-class inhaled dry-powder charged sodium channel blocker for refractory and unexplained chronic cough. In Phase 2b (ASPIRE study); designed to enter and silence only activated pulmonary nociceptors through open large-pore channels (P2X, TRPV, TRPA).
- **Nocion platform (charged sodium channel blockers)** — A small-molecule discovery platform built on ionized, membrane-impermeant sodium channel blockers that gain entry only into actively firing/inflamed neurons, leaving normal neurons untouched. Applicable to itch, pain, and inflammation indications beyond cough.

## Achievements

- Pioneered the 'charged sodium channel blocker' (nocion) drug class translating Bean & Woolf's Nature-published neuroscience into a clinical program
- Advanced lead candidate taplucainium from discovery to Phase 2b in chronic cough
- Raised approximately $122 million in total venture funding
- Fully enrolled the ASPIRE Phase 2b chronic cough study with topline results expected in 2026

## Latest updates

- **2026-05** — Appointed Vineet Agarwal as Chief Business Officer.
- **2026-04** — Mark Iwicki joined the board of directors.
- **2026-01** — Series B extended by $23M from existing investors, bringing the round to ~$93M.
- **2024-03** — Closed $62M Series B co-led by Arkin Bio Capital and Monograph Capital to advance taplucainium into late-stage development.

## Links

- Website: https://nociontx.com
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/nocion-therapeutics-inc
- Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/nociontx

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Last updated: 2026-06-07