NeoCytex treatment may eventually help regrow brain cells
April 21, 2008
By Allan Maurer
ORLANDO, FL—Caring for the more than 6 million Americans who suffer
from Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and other neurodegenerative diseases
and 5.4 million debilitated by stroke, will cost more than $200
billion this year. "That's bigger than the war in Iraq," says
NeoCytex co-founder, Nilabh Chaudhary. "So a method to regenerate
brain cells will have a high impact."
Chaudhary joined forces with co-founder Kiminobu Sugaya, inventor of
NeoCytex's technology (12 patents filed) to establish NeoCytex in
2006.
The company has received about $740,000 in National Institutes of
Health grants and matching funds, including a small, $25,000 award
from the Kentucky Enterprise Fund. It is seeking $5 million in
venture backing.
Lead drug
NeoCytex is developing novel therapeutics to promote the repair and
rejuvenation of damaged tissues. The lead drug candidate NBI-18 is
being developed for speeding up recovery from neurodegenerative
(Parkinson's, Alzheimer's) and cerebrovascular diseases.
The product works by accelerating the production of healthy new cells
from endogenous stem cells, enhancing the body's natural ability to
heal itself.
"We want to replace dead and dying neurons," explains Chaudhary. He
points out that neurodegenerative diseases progress slowly. In
Parkinson's, the first target for the company's treatment, the
neurons in a specific part of the brain die and when they do, the
production of the neurotransmitter dopamine stops. Dopamine is
essential for communication with another set of neurons that control
motor function. Without it, Parkinson's patients exhibit tremors and
other symptoms.
Works in mice
The company has shown that its treatment regenerates brain cells and
restores motor control in mouse models.
Sugaya is head of the stem cell laboratory at Central Florida
University where he invented the technology.
While the treatment may eventually prove useful for a variety of
problems, helping the pancreas make insulin for diabetic patients,
for instance, as a startup, the company is focused on its treatments
for neurodegenerative disorders, says Chaudhary.
"We know our limits," he said. "But a treatment for neurodegenerative
disorders is an immense need by any standards."
The company currently has three principals, six advisors and a number
of scientific consultants.
Chaudhary says the company hopes to meet a number of key milestones
over the next three years. Those include taking its product through
Phase I clinical trials. Eventually, it hopes to sign a licensing
deal with a large pharmaceutical partner, says Chaudhary.
On the Web: www.neocytex.
http://www.techjour
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StemCells subscribers may also be interested in these sites:
Children's Neurobiological Solutions
http://www.CNSfoundation.org/
Cord Blood Registry
http://www.CordBlood.com/at.cgi?a=150123
The CNS Healing Group
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/CNS_Healing
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