- Drug developer NeuroScientific Biopharmaceuticals (NSB) has announced significant positive results in a novel treatment for Multiple Sclerosis (MS)
- The peptide EmtinB has already been advanced as a candidate for a number of degenerative conditions, including Alzheimer’s disease
- Preclinical results indicate an increase of up to 800 per cent in repair cell proliferation — protecting against damage to nerve fibres found in MS sufferers
- Clinical trials for the drug’s application to Alzheimer’s and other degenerative conditions are set to commence soon and continue through 2020
- It is unknown when clinical trials in MS sufferers might begin
- NeuroScientific Biopharmaceutical is up 24 per cent, with shares trading for 18 cents each
Drug development company NeuroScientific Biopharmaceuticals (NSB) has announced significant positive results in a preclinical study of new drug EmtinB in the treatment of Multiple Sclerosis (MS).
The study was completed by French independent contract research organisation, Neuron Experts.
What is MS?
MS is one of the most common immune-mediated neurodegenerative conditions — meaning the body’s immune response and repair function decrease in line with the degeneration caused by the disease. This accelerates the effects of the disease as the patient’s age, and longevity of the disease, increase, leading to rapid degeneration in end-stage sufferers.
MS causes damage to the protective sheath (myelin) that covers nerve fibres, disrupting communication between the brain and the rest of the body. The nerve damage caused by MS is permanent and there is a need for disease-modifying treatments that prevent the ongoing deterioration of myelin (demyelination).
Support cells of the central nervous system called oligodendrocytes provide the myelin sheath that surround the nerve fibres. As people age, the function of oligodendrocytes generally diminishes. With the onset of MS – typically in people between the ages of 20-50 – this cell function is further diminished, which accelerates the demyelination of the nerve fibres.
Improvement in the efficiency of remyelination of nerve cells is therefore a major aim of MS research – and a novel approach to the treatment of the disease.
What is EmtinB?
EmtinB is NSB’s lead drug candidate to stimulate the repair of damaged nerve fibres. The novel therapeutic peptide works to increase the number of oligodendrocyte precursor cells (OPCs) — the cells that develop into the mature oligodendrocytes (MAGs) which remyelinate nerves.
The clinical trials show a single dose of the drug can increase the number of both OPCs and MAGs across a period of 5-11 days. At the highest dosage, numbers of mature repair cells increased by over 800 per cent.
Applications for MS and Beyond
EmtinB has already been advanced as a treatment for Alzheimer’s Disease, and is part of a group of related peptides (including EmtinAc, EmtinAn, and EmtinBn) which have demonstrated similar therapeutic potential. NSB believes the peptides may have great potential for the treatment of neurodegenerative conditions with high unmet medical need.
NSB CEO and Managing Director Matthew Liddelow says, “coming off the back of the company-defining results reported last week in the glaucoma pig model, these results also exceeded our expectations and profoundly demonstrate the efficacy of EmtinB in MS and across a number of other neurodegenerative conditions.”
“These results also indicate positive implications for EmtinB treatment of demyelinating conditions that affect the optic nerve, such as optic neuritis, and the company plans to further explore this as part of our ophthalmology R&D program,” Matthew explained.
Phase 1 clinical studies for the drug’s application in the treatment of Alzheimer’s, neurodegenerative dementia and degenerative ophthalmic conditions are set to proceed through to the end of 2020.
There are as yet no planned clinical studies for the use of EmtinB as a treatment for MS.
NeuroScientific Biopharmaceutical is up 24 per cent, with shares trading for 18 cents each as at 1:00 pm AEDT.