NervGen Pharma
NervGen Pharma is developing drug treatments that allow the central nervous system to regenerate itself. The company recently demonstrated - for the first time ever -functionally meaningful improvement of motor-recovery in people who have been chronically living with paralysis due to spinal-cord injury for years in a recent Ph1b / 2a trial.
How they’re delivering breakthroughs
In chronic brain or spinal injury, neurons do not regenerate due to an inhibitory environment, preventing axon / neurite ougrowth. NervGen’s lead drug candidate, NVG-291, acts as a modulator of PTPσ, a receptor that interacts with chondroitin sulfate proteoglycans (CSPGs), which are the major known inhibitors of neural repair following nervous system damage. NVG-291 is a peptide that mimics the intracellular domain of PTPσ, thereby blocking its inhibitory action and enabling nervous system repair. The scientific rationale is based on neuroscientist-legend Professor Jerry Silver's discoveries, who won numerous national and foundation awards for the significance of his contributions to the field.
How they’re making a difference
A first treatment for the 20M people living with paralysis due to spinal-cord injury will not only set the first standard of care for the indication and reduce the $6M life time healthcare burden, but also serve as a stepping stone to large patient populations with no treatment options, such as people chronically living with the consequences of stroke or traumatic brain injury.
