MediCortex: Triple Therapy for TBI
One reason why numerous attempts to find a therapy for traumatic brain injury (TBI) have failed is because drug developers have generally tried to find a single compound targeting one biological pathway or clinical problem.
MediCortex USA Ltd. , a startup founded by Dr. Adrian Harel, is breaking new ground with its design of a multiple function drug with three different mechanisms of action that simultaneously intervene in three different biochemical and physiological pathways.
Dr. Harel is a veteran neurobiologist who has had wide experience in bringing innovative pharmaceutical concepts from the lab to the clinic while managing a number of companies operating in the neurotherapeutic area, including Proneuron, Meditor and BrainStorm.
According to the National Centers for Disease Control (CDC), there are approximately one million Americans impacted by TBI each year. The populations most affected are children, (as a result of falls and playground injuries), soldiers (from blasts and accidents) and the elderly (falls and stroke).
Of these, an estimated five to fifteen percent suffer moderate to severe permanent brain impairment. Secondary brain injury in patients with severe or mild TBI can be the determinant of persistent disability or death. As a result of increased permeability of the neuronal membrane, there is an excessive influx of metal ions and circulating free radicals. This causes a series of protein degradation cascades and oxidation, leading to widespread molecular damage and neuronal cell death.
MediCortex’s novel, multi-functional approach aims both at decreasing circulating toxic metal ion levels in the brain as well as minimizing oxidation by these free radicals. This synergistic approach is expected to prevent the cascade of events leading to secondary brain degeneration.
The company has designed three chemically verified proprietary NCE’s, each with lipophilic properties for crossing the brain-blood-barrier (BBB) as well as at least two neuroprotective functions, e.g. free metal ion binding, anti-oxidation, anti-inflammation, and/or anti-bacterial.
MediCortex, currently in the proof-of-concept stage, is seeking an investment to support initial in-vitro tissue culture studies for assessing the biological activity and lack of toxicity of its pipeline compounds. These studies will utilize an innovative LiveCell® Array device (www.molecular-cytomics.com), designed for the study of individual, living neurons and their interaction with non-neuronal cells. The company will then investigate the neuroprotective efficacy of its NCE’s using in-vivo tailored animal models.