InteliSpark client, Novoron Bioscience wins a phase I SBIR (Small Business Innovation Research) grant from the National Institute on Aging to evaluate the potential of a novel therapeutic in its ability to restrict the spread of tau, a protein correlated with cognitive decline found in patients with Alzheimer’s disease and other neurodegenerative conditions.
The number of Americans with Alzheimer’s disease is growing with more than 6.5 million living with the disease currently and nearly 13 million projected to have Alzheimer’s dementia by 2050. There is no cure for Alzheimer’s disease, but a recent discovery has shown that LRP1, a receptor-related protein, regulates tau uptake and spread in the brain, indicating that it may slow the progression of various tauopathies.
Novoron Bioscience, a biotechnology company based in San Diego, is developing a novel drug targeting LRP1 to regulate tau in the brain and ultimately slow cognitive decline in patients. This phase I project, co-led by Dr. Travis Stiles, President & CEO of Novoron Bioscience, and Dr. Kenneth S. Kosik, Professor of Neuroscience at the University of California, Santa Barbara, will evaluate the therapeutic potential of this drug in restricting the spread of tau in the rodent brain.