Nevrargenics Limited, a Durham University spinout supported by Northern Accelerator, has got the green light to run a clinical trial.
Andy Whiting is CEO of Nevrargenics Limited and an Emeritus Professor in the university’s Chemistry Department. Andy explained how his team is using new funding to discover new treatments and hopefully a cure for the condition.
Speaking to Durham University, Andy said:
“This will involve identifying patients within the North East clinical region with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) and/or Frontotemporal dementia (FTD) that are willing to participate in a drug trial.
“Once patients are recruited, a clinician will administer a twice weekly intravenous injection of our new drug aimed at treating not only the symptoms of these diseases, but hopefully the root causes.
“Patients will have blood and cerebrospinal fluids sampled and MRI imaging carried out to see if the drug works in the way we expect and shows signs that the disease may be slowing or reversing.
“If success is seen using these biomarkers, the patient can continue being treated with the drug as long as needed.
“After several weeks of trialling, a results report is compiled for the MHRA and if success is observed, an application would be made for a further, more extensive trial.”
Future hopes
Andy is optimistic about a cure for MND being found one day:
“Researchers like us, and small biotech companies like Nevrargenics, are the innovators and business drivers to achieve results.”
“We know the underlying causes in all neurodegenerative diseases are substantially related; they can all be tackled. We just need to look and work harder, be more imaginative and less risk averse, to achieve the breakthroughs that over one billion sufferers on the planet deserve.”
Northern Accelerator support
Nevrargenics spun out of Durham University with support from Northern Accelerator. The team accessed funding from our pre-incorporation fund . Additionally they benefitted from our Executives into Business programme to strengthen the management and leadership of the business.
Read the full interview with Andy Whiting on Durham University’s website here.
