Once a stroke happens, the damage can't be repaired by any drug on the market. But scientists think they have found an option that could protect and repair the damage that occurs with a stroke up to a week after onset—but limited resources may block its path to clinic.
There’s only one drug on the market for stroke treatment: Activase, sold by Roche's Genentech, has to be administered within 4.5 hours of stroke onset. Most investigational stroke therapies currently under investigation also must be given within one to two days of the condition’s onset.
Researchers now believe they have identified a peptide that could change the script entirely for stroke treatment.
Scientists at the University of Cincinnati and Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland have found that the drug, dubbed NVG-291-R, supports nervous system repair and significant functional recovery in an animal model of severe ischemic stroke, as published in Cell Reports.
NVG-291-R reduced neuronal death and showed neuroreparative effects in animal models. The drug repaired damage by forming new neuronal connections and boosting migration of new neurons to the damaged site.
The researchers used NVG-291-R to block signaling pathways known as chondroitin sulfate proteoglycans, resulting in significant behavioral recovery including improved motor function, sensory function, spatial learning and memory. Researchers also found the drug to be effective even when administered as late as seven days after stroke onset.
NervGen Pharma, a clinical-stage biotech based in Canada, currently holds the rights to NVG-291-R and is planning trials in different neuronal damage diseases. Though the aforementioned research assessed the drug’s effect in neurorepair after stroke, NervGen is first launching clinical trials in patients with spinal cord injury, Alzheimer’s disease and multiple sclerosis, starting in 2022 and 2023.
When asked about the absence of stroke patients in its upcoming trial plans, the biotech cited limited resources. NervGen’s initial focus is based on the weight of scientific evidence to support those indications, the potential for positive impact on patients, feasibility of development, investor sentiment and commercial potential.
“Given this compelling new preclinical data in stroke, we believe there is a solid opportunity to secure non-dilutive funding to advance the program in the clinic through a partnership, either with industry or government,” NervGen said.