http://finance.individual.com/display_news.asp?doc_id=CT2001239b9156&page=news
August 27, 2001 1:45pm
HAWTHORNE, N.Y., Aug 27, 2001 (BW
HealthWire) -- Acorda Therapeutics announced today that it has been awarded
a Phase 1 Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant by the National
Institutes of Health.
The $100,000 grant will fund collaborative
research between Acorda and Drs. Herbert Geller, Sally Meiners, and David
Crockett of the University of Medicine and Dentistry New Jersey - Robert
Wood Johnson Medical School. The funded research will study the repair
of damaged nerves following a spinal cord injury by use of tenascin-C,
a member of a family of extracellular matrix glycoproteins.
This work will build on previous
research indicating that components of tenascin-C can promote regeneration
of central nervous system (CNS) nerve fibers. Damaged nerves in the CNS
(spinal cord and brain) do not spontaneously regenerate, whereas those
in the peripheral nervous system do. Scientists believe this is because
of the presence of inhibitory factors in the central nervous system, which
prohibit neuronal growth. Previous studies indicate that fragments of tenascin-C
supply permissive guidance cues that may allow nerve processes (axons)
to grow across the site of damage.
"Spinal cord injury, and other injuries
to the CNS, are devastating conditions for which there are no effective
treatments. This SBIR grant will enable Acorda and the UMDNJ team to further
explore the potential therapeutic uses of tenascin-C fragments in such
conditions. A therapy that produces even small improvements in a person's
neurological condition can result in enormous improvement in quality of
life," said Andrew Blight, Ph.D., Acorda's Executive Vice President of
Research and Development, and principal investigator on the SBIR grant.
Acorda Therapeutics, a privately
held biotechnology company, is developing therapies for spinal cord injury
(SCI) and related neurological conditions, including multiple sclerosis
(MS). The Company's lead product, Fampridine-SR, is in late Phase 2 clinical
trials for restoring neurological function in chronic SCI and in MS. Acorda's
technology platform also includes a class of human monoclonal antibodies
that have been shown to remyelinate the central nervous system in animal
models. These antibodies are in preclinical development for multiple sclerosis.
Additionally, Acorda is developing protein- and stem cell-based technologies
for regeneration and repair of the spinal cord and brain.
CONTACT: Acorda
Therapeutics
Copyright (C) 2001 Business Wire
Source: Business Wire
Tierney Saccavino, 914/347-4300, ext. 104
Fax: 914/347-4560
tsaccavino@acorda.com