The Craig H. Nielsen Foundation, a private institution dedicated to supporting scientific research and improve the quality of life of those affected spinal cord injury, has awarded a $ 641,000 grant to investigate the capacity of NLX-112, a clinical-phase compound developed by Neurolixis, to restore bladder function in rodent models of spinal cord injury. Experiments will be carried out by a research team at Cleveland Clinic, Ohio, led Dr. Yu-Shang Lee.

Dr Lee commented “There are about 17,700 new cases of spinal cord injury in the US each year and over 250,000 new cases worldwide. Many complications arise from such injury, including lower urinary tract dysfunction with bladder over activity and poor voiding efficiency. These complications have significant negative impact on the quality of life of patients and there is a high medical need for effective treatments.”

Adrian Newman-Tancredi, PhD, DSc, CEO of Neurolixis, commented: “Previous studies conducted by Neurolixis have shown that NLX-112 has pronounced influence on spinal cord responses, including expression of biological markers and analgesic activity. These data suggest that NLX-112 has a mechanism of action that can attenuate spinal cord injury-induced urinary tract dysfunction.”

In addition to testing the effects of NLX-112, Dr. Lee will also investigate potential synergy of NLX-112 in combination with exercise training. If successful, such treatment strategies could be translated into a clinical setting by testing NLX-112 in patients with spinal cord injury.

See the full description of the Craig Nielsen Foundation grant here.