Veteran biotech executive Gabriel Cipau has launched a new developer in Research Triangle Park.
NeuroScience Pharmaceuticals has licensed a program from Duke University and the Durham Veterans Affairs Medical Center which is in two soon-to-be-launched mid-stage studies for schizophrenia. And Cipau hopes to augment a $50,000 loan from the North Carolina Biotechnology Center with an A round to advance its lead drug, Pregnenolone. NeuroScience hopes to make a name for itself in the field of neurosteroids, which have proven effective in controling anxiety and depression.
"Multiple characteristics of Pregnenolone support its potential efficacy for the treatment of cognitive and negative symptoms in schizophrenia. Pregnenolone has multiple mechanisms of action supported by an extensive preclinical literature and emerging clinical data. Phase I clinical trials have indicated that Pregnenolone has the potential to effectively address schizophrenia symptoms with a favorable side effect profile," said Dr. Cipau. Dr. Cipau said he expects NeuroScience to pursue other potential therapeutic applications for Pregnenolone, including cognitive impairment, Alzheimer's disease, post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, and addiction.
Cipau has worked at Nippon Wellcome, Catalytica Pharmaceuticals, Copley Pharmaceuticals, Biolex and PhaseBio.
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