BioCentury
ARTICLE | Emerging Company Profile

Mind-NRG: New neuroprotection

Mind-NRG's neuregulin 1 fragment could treat early stage Parkinson's disease

August 20, 2012 7:00 AM UTC

Approved therapies for Parkinson's disease treat motor symptoms but cannot stop the loss of dopaminergic neurons that causes them. Mind-NRG's neuregulin 1 fragment could slow disease progression by preventing damage to dopaminergic neurons before motor symptoms appear.

Neuregulin 1 (NRG1) plays a critical role in neuronal development in the brain by agonizing epidermal growth factor receptor 4 (EGFR4; HER4; ErbB4), which is highly expressed on dopaminergic neurons. NRG1-ErbB4 signaling also regulates interactions between glutamate and its receptors that are involved in cognition and memory...