ROCKVILLE, Md., Sept. 11, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Neuralstem, Inc. (NYSE MKT: CUR) announced that Karl Johe, PhD, will give an update on the NSI-189 ongoing clinical trial in major depressive disorder (MDD) at the 6th Neurodegenerative Conditions Research and Development conference, September 13-14, in San Francisco, CA (http://www.gtcbio.com/index.php?option=com_conference&file=speaker&cn=5th%20Neurodegenerative&cid=37). NSI-189 is the lead compound in Neuralstem's neurogenic small molecule platform, which seeks to develop oral drugs for CNS conditions, such as depression and chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). Dr. Johe's talk, "Novel Neurogenic Drugs Targeting Hippocampal Degeneration," will take place on September 14th at 11:10 AM PDT. Dr. Johe is the Chairman and Chief Scientific Officer of Neuralstem.
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"We are pleased with the progress of NSI-189 in the trial for major depression, which has progressed from healthy volunteers to MDD patients," said Dr. Johe. "Evident from recent findings in Alzheimer's disease research, neurodegeneration occurs two decades before the first symptom is apparent. We should consider MDD as a neurodegenerative disease. By recruiting the endogenous neural stem cells in the patient's brain, NSI-189, a one a day oral drug, aims to counter the chronic neurodegeneration, stimulate the generation of new neurons in hippocampus, and increase hippocampal volume. The drug should also work on other diseases such as Alzheimer's dementia that involve progressive neurodegeneration and eventual atrophy of hippocampus."
About Neuralstem
Neuralstem's patented technology enables the ability to produce neural stem cells of the human brain and spinal cord in commercial quantities, and the ability to control the differentiation of these cells constitutively into mature, physiologically relevant human neurons and glia. Neuralstem is in an FDA-approved Phase I safety clinical trial for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), often referred to as Lou Gehrig's disease, and has been awarded orphan status designation by the FDA.
In addition to ALS, the company is also targeting major central nervous system conditions with its cell therapy platform, including spinal cord injury, ischemic spastic paraplegia and chronic stroke. The company has submitted an IND (Investigational New Drug) application to the FDA for a Phase I safety trial in chronic spinal cord injury.
Neuralstem also has the ability to generate stable human neural stem cell lines suitable for the systematic screening of large chemical libraries. Through this proprietary screening technology, Neuralstem has discovered and patented compounds that may stimulate the brain's capacity to generate new neurons, possibly reversing the pathologies of some central nervous system conditions. The company is in a Phase Ib safety trial evaluating NSI-189, its first neurogenic small molecule compound, for the treatment of major depressive disorder (MDD). Additional indications could include chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), Alzheimer's disease, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
For more information, please visit www.neuralstem.com or connect with us on Twitter and Facebook.
Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward Looking Information
This news release may contain forward-looking statements made pursuant to the "safe harbor" provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Investors are cautioned that such forward-looking statements in this press release regarding potential applications of Neuralstem's technologies constitute forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties, including, without limitation, risks inherent in the development and commercialization of potential products, uncertainty of clinical trial results or regulatory approvals or clearances, need for future capital, dependence upon collaborators and maintenance of our intellectual property rights. Actual results may differ materially from the results anticipated in these forward-looking statements. Additional information on potential factors that could affect our results and other risks and uncertainties are detailed from time to time in Neuralstem's periodic reports, including the annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2011 and the quarterly report on Form 10-Q for the period ended June 30, 2012.
SOURCE Neuralstem, Inc.