Neuro Vigor Therapeutics greatly benefits from ongoing relationships with impressive collaborators in science, research, drug development and business strategy. NVT welcomes inquiries regarding prospective collaboration and partnering opportunities.
Our current key collaborators include:
Purdue is one of the top research institutions in the United States, with special strengths in bio-engineering and drug development. The scientific foundation of NVT is the pioneering research of our Co- Founder & CSO, Dr. Riyi Shi, MD, Ph.D., Director, Center for Paralysis Research. Purdue continues to be a source of expertise, technology and potential funding important to the company.
We are clients of The Foundry, Purdue’s commercialization program, and received funding from Purdue and Elevate Ventures www.elevateventrues.com, an Indiana business development entity. Neuro Vigor has licensed from Purdue multiple technologies generated by Dr. Shi and has options on additional IP.
Purdue is conducting in vivo research in Dr. Shi’s lab as part of Neuro Vigor’s joint project with the University of Western Australia to generate high-potential drug candidates.
The University of Western Australia (UWA) is a leading Australian research-intensive university in the top 1% of the world's universities on the Shanghai Jiao-Tong Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU).
In 2021 NVT and UWA signed a collaboration agreement focusing on the joint development of proprietary drug candidates that are highly effective in reducing RAS, initially targeting neurodegenerative diseases, and pain in spinal cord injury (SCI). The UWA team in this effort is led Drs. Phil Burcham and Matt Piggott, globally recognized experts in the pharmacological sequestration of RAS. Under the agreement, the UWA grants To NVT an exclusive option to license the resulting intellectual property of chemical entities resulting from the collaboration.
UWA has discovered novel compounds with exciting potential as superior RAS trappers. From these potential drug candidates NVT and UWA are collaborating to identify, select and develop the compounds with best prospects for clinical efficacy. The project supports medicinal chemistry studies to develop efficacious, orally bioavailable, and non-toxic small molecules for treatment of neuropathic Pain in SCI. This initiative is funded by the State of Indiana Department of Health with further support from UWA.
The overall goal of the PSPP is to provide pain researchers from the academic and industry community with an efficient, rigorous one-stop in vivo screening resource to accelerate efficacy profiling and identification of alternatives to opioid analgesics. PSPP conducts an assessment of in vitro and pharmacokinetic profiles, side effect profiles, abuse liability, and efficacy in models relevant to human pain conditions.
PSPP facilitates the identification of potential non-addictive treatments (small molecules, biologics, devices, or natural products) for acute and chronic pain conditions. Under direction of the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), PSPP conducts preclinical testing of submitted agents, performed by contract facilities on a blinded and confidential basis and at no cost to the PSPP participants. NINDS PSPP staff report test results to participants and provide advice on next steps for promising agents.
NVT was accepted into this competitive program in 2021.
A promising NVT drug compound to treat neuropathic pain in spinal cord injury has successfully completed the first stage of PSPP screening and next stage assessment is now in planning.
In partnership with the Indiana State Department of Health, the ISCBIR fosters and encourages the development of new therapies for the prevention, treatment and cure of spinal cord and traumatic brain injuries, including acute management, medical complications, rehabilitative techniques, and neuronal recovery.
NVT received a $100K grant in 2021 to identify and assess a lead compound for the treatment of neuropathic pain in spinal cord injury. A 50% matching contribution has been provided by the University of Western Australia.
This project is now underway.
Our collaboration focuses on exploring the mutual relationship between myeloperoxidase (MPO) and reactive aldehyde species (RAS). MPO is recognized as an important factor in inflammation in neurodegenerative diseases. For example, MPO is abundantly secreted in the brains of multiple sclerosis (MS) patients, and is one source of highly reactive (RAS), the most toxic of which is acrolein. Acrolein itself increases inflammation, which increases MPO, sustaining this vicious cycle.
Dr. Chen is co-founder of Einsenca, an early-stage firm that strives to create medical imaging solutions for timely personalized clinical decision-making and intervention.
Dr. Chen and Purdue, both NVT partners, are collaborating on a research project funded by the National MS Society to investigate the correlation between MPO, a frequently used biomarker of inflammation, and acrolein, an established biomarker for oxidative stress, and to examine the effect of RA scavenging on this correlation. Given its potential reinforcement of NV’s scientific rationale, we are keenly interested in seeing the published results of this research.
Praxis is a Canadian-based not-for-profit organization that leads global collaboration in spinal cord injury research, innovation and care. Their commercialization program is focused on accelerating innovations including medical devices, therapeutics and diagnostics that can improve the lives of people living with SCI.
NVT was selected as a member of the Praxis SCI Incubate program, a competitive 18-week program designed to support innovative, early-stage companies that address care- and cure-related treatments and quality of life for people with spinal cord injury (SCI). Incubate brings together the best-in-class research, commercialization and consumer experts in the area of SCI to provide Incubate companies with the tools needed to scale and develop their products.
NVT completed the program in March 2022. We value our ongoing relationship with Praxis.
JBL is a large, India-based Contract Research Organization providing comprehensive drug discovery and contract research services to leading healthcare companies worldwide.
As part of our lead drug development selection effort (ISCBIR), JBP is conducting medical chemistry to synthesize novel compounds and will screen the most promising molecules for initial drug characteristics and toxicology.
The project is now underway.
