Ossianix Receives US$800,000 MS Society Funding

Ossianix Receives Funding from the National Multiple Sclerosis Society’s Fast Forward Program to Advance Brain Penetrant Anti CD20 Therapy for Progressive MS

Stevenage, UK,  7 July 2026 

Ossianix, Inc. today announced that it has received a US$0.8 million grant from Fast Forward – the commercial development program of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, to advance a blood–brain barrier (BBB)–penetrant anti‑CD20 therapy for the treatment of progressive multiple sclerosis (MS).

While anti‑CD20 antibodies have demonstrated strong efficacy in relapsing MS, their impact in progressive disease is limited by poor penetration into the central nervous system (CNS). Ossianix is addressing this challenge by engineering a CNS‑targeted anti‑CD20 antibody using its proprietary TXP1 Brain‑Selective Shuttle technology.

TXP1 is a single‑domain antibody that enables efficient receptor‑mediated transcytosis across the BBB via transferrin receptor‑1 (TfR1). In preclinical studies, TXP1 fusion has been shown to increase CNS‑selective antibody exposure by more than 40‑fold without off‑target accumulation, outperforming existing non‑selective BBB shuttle approaches.

The Fast Forward–funded program will support expanded preclinical studies, pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic profiling, and safety evaluations to advance the program toward clinical development.

Frank S. Walsh, CEO of Ossianix, said: “We are delighted to be working with Fast Forward. This approach has huge potential to address a key driver of progressive MS by enabling direct targeting of pathogenic B cells within the CNS.”

“We are pleased to see research advancing that may help stop the progression of MS in its tracks,” said Walter Kostich, PhD, Associate Vice President of Translational Research at the National MS Society. “This is a critical goal in our search for cures for all people living with MS.”