It's been a busy summer for Houston-based Coya Therapeutics, a clinical-stage biotech company that's creating revolutionary treatments for neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and ALS.

In July, Coya announced that has expanded its collaboration with Houston Methodist Research Institute, or HMRI. The publicly traded company also announced fresh funding from the Johnson Center for Cellular Therapeutics.

Last month, Coya reported that it has expanded its treatment research to see how GLP-1 drugs — a trending drug for weight loss — can enhance the effects of its proprietary therapeutics. By combining the medicines, Howard Berman, co-founder and CEO of Coya Therapeutics, says he thinks Coya can better treat these complex immune-based diseases.

Berman joined the Houston Innovators Podcast in April of 2023 to discuss taking Coya public and his passion for the company's mission.

"I was interested in what I could do for my dad," Berman says on the Houston Innovators Podcast, explaining how he took the meeting with Dr. Stanley Appel, who then presented him with some of his research. "By slide five my jaw had hit the ground.

"He had shown that he could stop the progression in one of his early trials of ALS," Berman says.

Berman shares more of the Coya Therapeutics story on the podcast, as well as how he sees Houston's potential as an emerging hub for biotech.

"The next number of years as we develop this therapeutic regimen for ALS, we have the potential to transform Houston into something more than it is currently," he says. "Our success will be the city's success."