Company: Cerêve, Inc.
Headquarters: Madison, Wisconsin, USA
Founded: 2014
Acquired: 2021 (by Zogenix), 2022 (by UCB)
Status: Commercial stage (sleep system), Research discontinued (AD program)
Cerêve was a medical device company focused on developing novel therapies for central nervous system disorders, with a particular emphasis on sleep-based interventions for neurodegenerative diseases and insomnia[1].
The company pioneered a unique approach to neurological treatment by targeting the glymphatic system—a brain waste clearance mechanism that is most active during sleep. Their technology was based on groundbreaking research from the University of Wisconsin-Madison demonstrating that targeted cooling of the forehead could enhance the brain's natural clearance of toxic proteins associated with Alzheimer's disease.
| Attribute | Details |
|---|---|
| Headquarters | Madison, Wisconsin, USA |
| Founded | 2014 |
| Acquired | 2021 by Zogenix ($100M); 2022 by UCB |
| Focus | Sleep-based drug delivery, neurological devices |
| Status | Commercial (sleep system), Discontinued (AD program) |
Cerêve developed an innovative approach to delivering therapeutics through targeted sleep modulation. The Cerêve Sleep System was a medical device designed to cool the forehead during sleep[2]:
The device was initially developed for:
| Program | Indication | Stage | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cerêve Sleep System | Insomnia disorder | FDA Cleared | Commercial |
| Controlled Cortical Impact | Traumatic brain injury | Preclinical | Research |
| Sleep-Based Drug Delivery | Alzheimer's disease | Research | Discontinued |
The Cerêve Sleep System received FDA 510(k) clearance for the treatment of insomnia disorder:
The Alzheimer's disease program was based on enhanced glymphatic clearance:
The glymphatic system is a brain-wide waste clearance mechanism discovered by Dr. Maiken Nedergaard and colleagues at the University of Rochester[3]:
Research has established connections between sleep disturbance and neurodegenerative disease:
Cerêve's approach targeted enhanced clearance through:
In July 2021, Cerêve was acquired by Zogenix for approximately $100 million[4]:
In March 2022, Zogenix was acquired by UCB, a global biopharmaceutical company headquartered in Belgium[5]:
Cerêve competed in the sleep technology and neurodevice spaces:
Last updated: March 13, 2026
Cerêve, Inc. Company Information. ↩︎
Iliff et al. (2013). Brain-wide glymphatic pathway for the clearance of interstitial waste. 2013. ↩︎
Zogenix. Zogenix Acquires Cerêve. 2021. ↩︎
UCB. UCB Acquires Zogenix. 2022. ↩︎