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ARTICLE | Emerging Company Profile

Inception 5: Myelin layer

Versant's Inception 5 is screening for remyelination drugs

June 30, 2014 7:00 AM UTC

Inception 5 Inc. is among a handful of companies pursuing the next frontier of multiple sclerosis treatments - compounds that induce remyelination. The company is using a screening platform to discover small molecules that could have a dosing advantage over competing antibodies already in the clinic.

Myelin is a lipid-rich coating that insulates neuronal axons, allowing them to maintain the electrical gradients needed to transmit action potentials. In MS, pro-inflammatory immune cells degrade the myelin coating of axons, leading to broad neurological and neuromuscular deficits...