The Dystonia Dove

07/30/2026

NT-1 -NT-3

RE: "Regarding NT-1, Professor Kim expressed confidence, stating, "There are currently no treatments for dystonia on the market. The new drug we are developing will likely be the only one."

English: ( Not clinically
Neurotov Launches New System After HLB Acquisition; Brain Scientists' 'Blue Ocean' Challenge Begins in Earnest
Reporter Im Han-solApproved 2024.10.02 13:140
Neurotov Forms Co-CEO System with Professor Kim Dae-soo and President Shim Kyung-jae:
“We Will Develop the Only Treatment for Dystonia, a Growing Market”... Also Discovering New Parkinson’s Disease Drug
Neurotobe, a new drug development company that joined the HLB Group, has formed a new management team. KAIST Professor Kim Dae-soo, the founder of Neurotobe, and HLB's professional manager, President Shim Kyung-jae, have established a co-CEO system.

Neurotov is a compound word formed from "neuro," meaning "nerve," and "tov," a Hebrew word meaning "good." As the name suggests, it was established with the goal of targeting intractable brain diseases. In particular, it has focused on dystonia and Parkinson's disease. The company aspires to grow into a world-class biotech firm by securing a leading position in fields where fundamental treatments have not yet been developed.

◇ Professor Kim Dae-soo, Dedicated to Neuroscience, Seeks the 'Minority Report' of Intractable Brain Diseases

Professor Kim, who leads the research and development of Neurotov, is a brain science expert. He received his master's and doctoral degrees in genetics and neuroscience from KAIST and conducted research in neurophysiology as a postdoctoral researcher at the State University of New York School of Medicine. It is reported that he distinguished himself even during his doctoral studies, publishing a paper in Nature, a world-renowned academic journal. He joined KAIST as a professor in 2004 and currently serves as a full-time professor in the Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences.

Professor Kim discovered promising candidate substances for the treatment of brain diseases through research at KAIST. These include 'NT-1', a treatment for dystonia, and 'NT-3', a treatment for Parkinson's disease. These candidate substances share a commonality in that they seek 'innovation' by breaking away from the mainstream of existing treatments.

Kim Dae-soo, Professor at KAIST and CEO of Neurotov. Photo/Neurotov
Kim Dae-soo, Professor at KAIST and CEO of Neurotov. Photo/Neurotov
Dystonia is a condition in which muscle tension increases involuntarily, causing pain and twisting of parts or the entire body. While treatments such as botulinum toxin injections and deep brain stimulation (DBS) have been developed, they have had limitations. Botulinum toxin injections are localized and can lead to resistance. In the case of DBS, it is applicable only to a limited number of patients, and the brain surgery itself carries a significant risk.

To solve this problem, Professor Kim researched the root cause of dystonia and discovered that serotonin, one of the neurotransmitters, causes dystonia. He found that when under stress, the activity of serotonin neurons increases, leading to increased serotonin secretion, and this increased serotonin acts on a serotonin receptor called 5HT2A to tense the muscles.

The serotonin receptor inhibitor developed accordingly is NT-1, a treatment for dystonia. Regarding NT-1, Professor Kim expressed confidence, stating, "There are currently no treatments for dystonia on the market. The new drug we are developing will likely be the only one." He added, "The dystonia market is growing, but since there are no new drugs available, this field is a blue ocean."

NT-3, a treatment for Parkinson's disease, is also considered an innovative new drug. Parkinson's disease is known to be caused by the loss of brain neurons that secrete the neurotransmitter dopamine. While administering dopamine agonists can alleviate symptoms, there is a risk of side effects, and tolerance develops with long-term use.

Accordingly, while methods such as the transplantation of new dopamine stem cells are being researched, Professor Kim took a different approach. He viewed "rebound excitation signals," which suddenly cause excessive nerve excitement after inhibition, as the primary cause of Parkinson's disease symptoms, rather than nerve inhibition resulting from a decrease in dopamine. Naturally, this led to the conclusion that Parkinson's disease can be treated by suppressing these rebound excitation signals.

Although it is still a minority theory, its therapeutic effects have already been proven through animal experiments. Professor Kim is currently developing NT-3, an RNA gene therapy in the form of an A*O (antisense oligonucleotide) that can be effective in humans as well.

From left: Shim Kyung-jae, new CEO of Neurotov; Kim Dae-soo, KAIST Professor and CEO of Neurotov; and Lim Chang-yoon, Vice Chairman of HLB Group. Photo/HLB
From left: Shim Kyung-jae, new CEO of Neurotov; Kim Dae-soo, KAIST Professor and CEO of Neurotov; and Lim Chang-yoon, Vice Chairman of HLB Group. Photo/HLB
◇HLB Acquires Neurotov... Who Is President Sim Gyeong-jae, Making His Debut as a Professional Manager?

Armed with innovation theory, Neurotov caught the eye of HLB. In September, HLB announced that it would invest 16 billion won to acquire a 73.02% stake in Neurotov. This marks the acquisition of its third biotech subsidiary, following Eleva Therapeutics, which develops the liver cancer drug Rivoceranib, and Immunomic Therapeutics, a developer of anticancer vaccines.

Since a candidate substance has already been prepared, the key is how quickly it can enter the clinical phase. Neurotov plans to first begin preparations for the application for Phase 1 clinical trials of NT-1, a treatment for dystonia.

HLB dispatched a separate professional manager to the company to allow Professor Kim and the Neurotov research team to focus on clinical preparations. After recently completing the M&A process, Neurotov held an extraordinary general meeting of shareholders and appointed President Shim Kyung-jae as co-CEO alongside Professor Kim.

After graduating from Chung-Ang University with a degree in Business Administration, President Shim worked at Doosan E&C and Samsung S1 before joining HLB in 2019. He has been in charge of media relations while working in the HLB Group’s external affairs team for many years. This is his first time serving as CEO of HLB Group. It is reported that he plans to concurrently hold the positions of HLB’s media relations head and Neurotov’s representative while first focusing on expanding Neurotov’s research workforce.

"Parkinson's disease and dystonia are fields where fundamental treatments have not yet been developed. Following HLB's Rivoceranib, HLB Therapeutics' NK therapy, and HLB Innovation (Verismo)'s CAR-T therapy, this will become an innovative treatment that realizes the HLB Group's 'Human Life Better' philosophy," said CEO Shim. "We will do our utmost to support the research team so that we can achieve these results early and become a world-class company for treating intractable brain diseases."

https://www.thebionews.net/news/articleView.html?idxno=8699

RE: HLB acquires KAIST faculty startup NeuroTobe to develop new Parkinson's disease treatment
기자명 Ji, Yong Jun 입력 2024.09.11

( Overview
HLB NeuroTobe is a South Korean biotechnology company specializing in the development of novel treatments for intractable brain diseases, specifically focusing on dystonia and Parkinson’s disease. Originally founded in 2021 as a KAIST faculty startup by Professor Kim Dae-soo, the company was acquired by the HLB Group in September 2024, which now holds a 73.02% stake. The company aims to become a global leader in treating neurological disorders where fundamental cures are currently lacking.

[프레스나인] HLB(에이치엘비)그룹에 합류한 신약개발기업 뉴로토브(Neurotobe)가 새로운 경영진을 꾸렸다. 뉴로토브를 창업한 김대수 카이스트(KAIST) 교수과 함께 HLB 측 전문경영인인 심경재 사장이 각자대표...

07/30/2026

💪 YES!!!!!!! Animals shouldnt be made to suffer just make people who are suffering feel better. It's not ethical.

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1BeEyokQL2/

For the first time, New York is drawing a hard line for wild animals.

Elephants, lions, tigers, bears, giraffes, kangaroos, zebras, and other wild species can no longer be used in traveling circuses across the state. The law just passed with strong bipartisan support.

Think about what that actually means. For decades, these animals spent their lives in trailers and cramped cages, hauled from town to town, forced to perform under bright lights and loud crowds in places that had nothing to do with how they were built to live.

Animal welfare groups have been raising the alarm on this for years. Long transport hours. Tiny enclosures. Environments that never came close to meeting a wild animal's real physical or behavioral needs.

The new law backs it up with civil fines of up to $1,000 per violation. Some advocates wish the penalties went further, but most agree this is real progress.

Circuses aren't disappearing. They just can't use wild animals anymore.

And New York isn't alone. State after state is making the same call, sending a clear message: wild animals belong in the wild, not on a stage.

It's a small sentence with a big meaning. No more elephants standing in a parking lot between shows. No more tigers pacing a cage on a flatbed truck. Just a little more room in the world for these animals to actually be what they are.

Have you ever seen a wild animal performing in person, and what did it make you think about afterward?

(Based on a real documented event.)

06/12/2026

Biotin-responsive basal ganglia disease: a novel entity

Summary We describe a novel, biotin-responsive basal ganglia disease in 10 patients. At onset, it appears as a subacute encephalopathy, with confusion, dysarthria and dysphagia with occasional supranuclear facial nerve palsy or external ophthalmoplegia, and progresses to severe cogwheel rigidity, dystonia and quadriparesis. These symptoms disappear within a few days if biotin (5–10 mg/kg/day) is administered, and there are no neurological sequelae. They reappear within 1 month if biotin is discontinued. Patients diagnosed late, or who have had repeated episodes, suffer from residual symptoms such as paraparesis, mild mental retardation or dystonia. The numerous biochemical studies of intermediary metabolism, like the autoimmune and toxicological Keywords: biotin; basal ganglia disease; dystonia Abbreviations: carbidopa studies, enzyme assays including biotinidase, carboxylase and lysosomal activities, and bacterial and viral studies were all normal. The aetiology may be related to a defect in the transporter of biotin across the blood–brain barrier. The only consistent radiological abnormality was central necrosis of the head of the caudate bilaterally and complete, or partial, involvement of the putamen on brain MRI. This was present during the initial acute encephalopathy and remained unchanged during followup of 3–10 years. Although its aetiology is unknown, it is important to recognize this disease, since its symptoms may be reversed and the progression of its clinical course prevented simply by providing biotin.

06/02/2026

Most of us would rather live without pain.Yet God can—and does—a great work in our life during times of adversity.

In today’s passage, Jesus explains the principle of brokenness through a metaphor comparing our life to a single grain of wheat. If we hold a kernel in our hands, nothing will happen. If we carefully place it in a jar or on a shelf for safekeeping, it will just sit there. Kept in safety, the grain will remain unchanged.

However, if that kernel is placed in the soil where its protective layer is stripped away, something amazing happens. Before long, a sprout will emerge and start to grow into something different, useful, and beautiful. Moreover, that new stalk will produce more grains that can be planted, and the stalks those produce will go on to do the same. It’s an amazing cycle of life in which a single kernel can lead to countless stalks of wheat. But it has to start with the brokenness of one grain.

Jesus did not just speak this example; He lived it. After sacrificing Himself, He was broken and placed “in the ground.” From that brokenness came new life for us all (Isa. 53:5). Are you feeling broken today? If so, remember God has not abandoned you; instead, He may be leading you into a season of new growth and joy.

John 12:24-25

24 ``Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.

Brokenness: The Principle https://www.intouch.org/read/daily-devotions/brokenness-the-principle

06/02/2026

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1HxWFLxtXv/

06/02/2026

Yes, I'm Faking It!
I'm Faking Being OK!


💙 Let's show support to our friend or family member living with invisible disabilities, by listening and validating their challenges and losses ... not by claiming they aren't there!

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💙 IDA is changing the way the world sees disabilities!

The IDA Team
https://InvisibleDisabilities.org





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04/26/2026

😃 HEY!! Brand New Book Out by Allison Garner patients

A Roller Coaster Called Dystonia

04/10/2026

https://www.paypal.com/US/fundraiser/charity/1390

Help me spread the word about Dystonia Medical Research Foundation. Together we can make a difference.