BOSTON and PARIS, Sept. 20, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- PathMaker Neurosystems Inc. (“PathMaker”), a near-commercial stage neuromodulation company developing breakthrough non-invasive systems for the treatment of serious neurological disorders such as Stroke and Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), announced today that it was awarded a Phase I STTR grant from NIH’s National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS). The $371,000 award will enable the completion of key pre-clinical studies evaluating the effect of treatment with PathMaker’s breakthrough technology for motor neuron hyperexcitability suppression in transgenic ALS mice.
“There is tremendous unmet medical need for new treatment options for ALS,” said Nader Yaghoubi, M.D., Ph.D., President and Chief Executive Officer at PathMaker. “Only 3 drugs are currently FDA-approved for the treatment of ALS, but their effectiveness is limited. We are hopeful that a non-invasive approach to suppressing overactive motor neurons involved in ALS can offer a new modality for treating this devastating disease.”
The pre-clinical studies funded by this Phase I STTR award will be conducted by Prof. Zaghloul Ahmed, Professor and Chair, Department of Physical Therapy, and Professor of Neuroscience at the College of Staten Island/CUNY, and Scientific Founder of PathMaker. “We have seen exciting results in preliminary studies using our non-invasive approach in transgenic ALS mice, and we have begun presenting these results at scientific conferences,” said Prof. Ahmed. “We are looking forward to expanding the scope of our pre-clinical studies and building a robust foundation to rapidly move this novel technology towards application in people with ALS.”
This grant is the second NIH award for PathMaker. In 2018, the Company was awarded $5M to support the advancement of its first product through the NINDS CREATE Device program. The device, called MyoRegulator®, is a first-in-class non-invasive therapeutic device for the treatment of muscle spasticity and has been evaluated in two IRB-approved clinical trials.
ABOUT PATHMAKER NEUROSYSTEMS INC.
PathMaker Neurosystems is a near-commercial stage neuromodulation company developing breakthrough non-invasive systems for the treatment of patients with serious neurological disorders such as stroke and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). With offices in Boston (U.S.) and Paris (France), PathMaker is collaborating with world-class institutions on rapidly bringing to market disruptive products for treating serious neurological disorders with high unmet medical need. More than 48 million patients in the U.S., Europe and Asia suffer disabilities due to stroke, ALS, spinal cord injury, multiple sclerosis, traumatic brain injury, cerebral palsy, Parkinson’s disease and other neurological disorders. The Company’s first product, MyoRegulator®, will be the world’s first non-invasive neuromodulation device for the treatment for muscle spasticity, and will enable the treatment of patients without the need for drugs or surgery. MyoRegulator® is based on PathMaker’s proprietary DoubleStim® technology for suppression of hyperexcitable spinal motor neurons. MyoRegulator® has been designated by US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as a “breakthrough medical device” and FDA has confirmed that clinical trials with MyoRegulator® are considered non-significant risk (NSR). MyoRegulator® is an investigational medical device and is limited by federal law to investigational use only. At PathMaker, we are opening up a new era of non-invasive therapy that promises to replace the need for drugs or surgery for patients suffering from serious neurological disorders. For more information, please visit the company website at www.pmneuro.com.
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