Financial support given for development of NRP2945 as potential therapy for MS progression(14/10/13)

CuroNZ, an Auckland biotechnology start-up company developing treatments for progressivemultiple sclerosis, has been awarded funding of US$ 540,000 from the National Multiple Sclerosis Society through Fast Forward to support preclinical studies needed to develop CuroNZ’s NRP2945 candidate as a potential therapy to protect the nervous system from MS damage.

Current therapies available for treating multiple sclerosis do not adequately treat progressive stages of the disease or directly protect the nervous system from that damage that leads to progression.

The funding will enable CuroNZ to undertake pre-clinical proof of concept, pharmacokinetic and toxicity studies to bring the drug candidate lead NRP2945 closer to an investigational new drug (IND) application. As part of the project, CuroNZ will collaborate with leading research organisations including the University of Auckland and Monash University in Melbourne. With its unique mechanism of action and a pristine safety profile to date, NRP2945 has the potential to act as a neuroprotective agent which might eventually be developed into a product that can help patients with progressive MS, worldwide.

Finding ways to stop MS progression is a strategic priority of the National MS Society’s research program. A key aspect of the Society’s comprehensive approach to driving research progress is the support of promising research discoveries – such as NRP2945 - toward commercial drug development.

About CuroNZ: CuroNZ was founded in 2009 by Dr. Frank Sieg who discovered the drug candidate portfolio called Neural Regeneration Peptides (NRPs) in Germany. He subsequently brought them to New Zealand with the hope of being able to eventually develop products that could benefit patients suffering from the debilitating effects of progressive MS.

Source: Scoop Health News © Scoop Media 2013 (14/10/13)