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- Neuroscientific Biopharmaceuticals (NSB) has reported positive results from the latest study of its EmtinB drug
- The study was conducted in pigs, where the company tested the drug’s ability to treat glaucoma
- Glaucoma is the second-largest cause of blindness in the world and currently has no effective treatment
- The company injected the pigs with EmtinB, then intentionally raised their eye pressure to test the drug’s damage control
- The results, according to CEO Matthew Liddelow, are “unprecedented” in this type of model
- Shares in Neuroscientific have gained just over 16 per cent today, currently worth 18 cents each
Neuroscientific Biopharmaceuticals (NSB) has reported some positive results from the testing of its EmtinB product to treat blindness in pigs.
The pig study is a precursor to potential human studies of EmtinB. Neuroscientific is developing the product as a treatment for two different conditions without effective treatments: Alzheimer’s Disease and glaucoma.
While today’s news brings no new information to light regarding EmtinB’s ability to treat Alzheimer’s, the company said the latest pig trial brought about some positive glaucoma results.
Glaucoma is the second-leading cause of irreversible blindness in the world and currently has no effective cure. Further, any loss of sight caused by glaucoma cannot be reversed.
Current therapies and treatments focus on lowering a patient’s eye pressure, also known as intraocular ocular pressure (IOP). However, Neuroscientific explained that though high IOP is a major risk factor in developing glaucoma, it’s not the root cause: many patients who effectively manage their IOP through treatment continue to develop the disease and lose their vision regardless.
EmtinB, however, targets a key molecule responsible for protecting retinal ganglion cells (RGCs), which are responsible for connecting the eye to the brain.
The preliminary study in pigs showed the treatment was able to reduce damage to the RGC nerve fibres and subsequently prevent glaucoma.
The study was conducted by injecting EmtinB into the right eye of an anesthetised pig one hour before intentionally raising the pig’s eye pressure. After six hours, the eye injected with EmtinB was compared to the left eye (without EmtinB but an equally high eye pressure) to see how the drug affected eye damage.
Neuroscientific told shareholders today some “statistically significant” positive changes were detected in the main site of glaucoma damage as a result of the EmtinB injection.
Company CEO and Managing Director Matthew Liddelow said the results are better than expected and unprecedented in this type of model.
“Given that we only had a six-hour window for EmtinB to demonstrate its neuroprotective effect at the molecular level and the severity of the IOP model that mimics the worst human pathology, we believe in the high potential of EmtinB as a disease-modifying agent in future human studies of glaucoma,” Matthew explained.
With the positive results from today’s study and a safety and toxicology program of EmtinB underway, Neuroscientific said it plans to kick off human studies of EmtinB for glaucoma later this year.
Investors seem impressed with today’s news, with shares in the company gaining almost 26 per cent within the first hour of trading. Though slightly settled since then, shares are still up 16.13 per cent up and trading for 18 cents each.
