Biopharmaceutical company NFL Biosciences (Euronext Growth Paris: ALFNL) announced on Monday that it has entered into a scientific collaboration with McLean Hospital, part of the Mass General Brigham network in Boston, to investigate the mechanism of action behind its lead drug candidate NFL-101, a botanical therapy for smoking cessation.

Building on earlier studies with Georges Pompidou European Hospital and the French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission, the partnership will focus on how NFL-101 restores normal brain activity in areas linked to nicotine cravings, particularly the thalamus. Prior data showed this effect to be both specific and sustained, suggesting a novel mechanism involving immune and central nervous system interaction, separate from existing nicotine-targeted therapies.

Three McLean Hospital laboratories - the Integrative Neurochemistry Laboratory, Behavioral Neuroimaging Laboratory and Behavioral Psychopharmacology Research Laboratory - will lead the research. Their objective is to correlate NFL-101's neurological effects with biomarkers of tobacco addiction and expand understanding of its pharmacological profile.

NFL Biosciences views this collaboration as a strategic step ahead of its planned Phase III trial and as a key element of its US expansion strategy. The partnership is expected to bolster regulatory submissions and facilitate discussions with potential industrial partners. NFL Biosciences will retain full intellectual property rights, including any resulting patent applications, while the research may lead to co-authored publications and international scientific presentations.

Headquartered in France, NFL Biosciences is developing plant-based therapeutics for addiction, with NFL-101 as its most advanced candidate. Additional pipeline projects include NFL-301 for alcohol reduction and a program targeting cannabis use disorders.