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Neuralstem Inc., a biopharmaceutical company, recently received a grant worth up to nearly $1 million from the National Institutes of Health.
The Germantown company received the research grant, to evaluate over two years the ability of its small molecule compound, NSI-189 to prevent and treat diabetic neuropathy.
In a previous study, NSI-189 was shown to significantly protect motor and sensory nerve function in mice with type 1 diabetes when it was given from the onset of the disease. It was also found to improve nerve function when given 2 months after disease onset.
NSI-189 is the same drug which recently had mixed results in Neuralstem’s Phase 2 trial for its use to treat major depressive disorder. Neuralstem is also developing the drug to treat Angelman’s syndrome, irradiation-induced cognitive impairment and stroke.