NervGen Pharma Corp. is a clinical stage biotech company dedicated to developing innovative treatments that enable the nervous system to repair itself following damage, whether due to injury or disease. NervGen’s lead drug candidate, NVG-291, is currently in a Phase 1 clinical trial in healthy volunteers. After completing our Phase 1 clinical trial, we plan to study the effectiveness and safety of NVG-291 initially in people with Alzheimer’s disease, spinal cord injury and multiple sclerosis.

When there is damage to the nervous system a scar forms. The scar forms in response to acute damage, such as spinal cord injury and traumatic brain injury, or in chronic diseases, such as Alzheimer’s disease and multiple sclerosis. Scars contain molecules called chondroitin sulfate proteoglycans (CSPGs) which initially help to contain damage, but in the long term the interaction of CSPGs and a cellular receptor, protein tyrosine phosphatase sigma (PTPσ), interferes with repair of the nervous system. NervGen’s NVG-291 relieves the inhibitory effects of CSPGs and thus enables nervous system repair. NVG-291-R is the rodent version of NVG-291 and benefits have been demonstrated in at least six different disease models including spinal cord injury, peripheral nerve injury, multiple sclerosis, optic neuritis, stroke and cardiac ischemia. In animal studies, NVG-291-R promoted nervous system repair and enhanced recovery of functions such as walking, bladder control, vision, and memory.