Marseille, November 29, 2010 – the biotechnology company NEUROKIN, dedicated to the development of neuroprotective drugs to treat acute neurological diseases, announces today that it has received the support from the Agence Nationale de la Recherche (ANR) on its STROKININ project aiming at improving the development of NK-102, its most advanced neuroprotective drug for the treatment of stroke.
This 36 months duration project with a global budget of € 1.5 million is supported by a grant of € 813 K€ with 350 K€ attributed to Neurokin.
This project coordinated by Mrs Bénédicte MENN, co-founder of Neurokin, constitutes a partnership agreement between Neurokin and two INSERM units. The U919 unit belonging to the GIP Cyceron in Caen (west of France) provides pharmacological expertise especially on non-human primates, as well as in brain imaging. INSERM U615 supplies specific know how in genetics and functional genomics. For its part, Neurokin supports coordination, additional studies of pharmacology in rats and regulatory development both internally and externally, based on its unique expertise around the NK molecules.
In an area where medical needs are very important and where the pharmaceutical industry has experienced many failures in clinical stage, this project will strengthen Neurokin’s original approach in neuroprotection. The proof of concept already obtained by the Company on the NK-102 will be deepened and a translational approach to development will be implemented. This will allow dealing with clinical development in 2012, using the necessary tools for the selection and monitoring of patients intended for the establishment of proof of concept in humans in Phase II.
The neuroprotective efficacy of NK-102 is based on its dual mechanism of action. After a brain injury NK-102, firstly blocks neuronal apoptosis and also reduces inflammation by inhibiting the proliferation of glial cells. The Company has already provided proof of concept of the neuroprotective properties of NK-102 in animal models on stroke and epilepsy.
Jérôme BECQUART, CEO of NEUROKIN declared: « We are very pleased that the ANR has decided to finance and support the program that we run because combined with our ongoing fundraising, this funding will give us the means to pursue more effectively the development of our projects in stroke ».
About NEUROKIN
Founded in 2003 by neuroscientists, doctors and based on scientific research coming from INSERM and CNRS, NEUROKIN is a biotechnology company developing neuroprotective agents to treat acute neurological diseases. These are serious diseases such as stroke, Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) and some forms of epilepsy, which destroy permanently brain cells within a few days and for which there is no existing effective treatment.
NEUROKIN develops its expertise on the NK molecules, which are capable of protecting brain cells, particularly neurons, immediately after the occurrence of an accident or a traumatic brain injury. NK-102 is the first drug candidate from this family on which NEUROKIN focuses its development efforts. The company has exclusive worldwide licenses for the use of NK molecules and has been granted with a specific patent for NK-102 issued by the EPO.
For more information please visit: http://www.neurokin.com
Contact Jérôme Becquart – CEO (+33) (0) 1 47 01 31 33 j.becquart@neurokin.com
Milestones – Press Relations Bruno Arabian / Jacques-Olivier Costa (+33) (0)1 75 44 87 40/42 barabian@milestones.fr / jocosta@milestones.fr
