Science
Inhibitory factors hold back the repair of the injured central nervous system — NovaGo sets out to release that brake.
The Nogo-A antibody platform
NovaGo develops human therapeutic antibodies to enhance nerve growth and regeneration by blocking the growth-inhibitory membrane protein Nogo-A. This blockade stimulates the regenerative growth of nerve fibers and leads to the establishment of novel functional connections.
Mechanism of action
Inhibition of a negative regulator
The clinical stage antibody NG004 blocks Nogo-A signaling through its receptors, relieving the RhoA brake on actin polymerization and enabling neurite outgrowth.
Inhibitory factors prevent repair of spinal cord, brain and retinal injuries
Traffic, sports or work accidents can lead to severe damage of the spinal cord and brain with subsequent impairments of standing, walking or arm and hand movements as well as sensory and cognitive deficits. Tragically, many of these deficits persist lifelong. This is due to the poor repair capacity of the central nervous system. An important player for this restricted repair is a protein of the brain and spinal cord, Nogo-A, which inhibits nerve fiber growth and regeneration.
Recent research has characterized the protein Nogo-A and its mechanism of action in great detail and has found ways to block Nogo-A’s actions with function blocking antibodies. NovaGo’s approaches are built on this knowledge base.
Novel therapeutic approach for spinal cord injury
Antibodies which block the action of the growth inhibitor Nogo-A allowed the regrowth of injured fibers and the formation of new connections in animal models. The NovaGo antibody NG004 is an optimized regeneration-promoting drug which currently enters clinical trials.
Promoting recovery after cerebral stroke
A stroke interrupts the blood supply to part of the brain, damaging the neural tissue and the connections that pass through it. The resulting loss of motor, sensory or cognitive function depends on the region affected.
By temporarily lifting the brake that Nogo-A places on nerve-fiber growth, surviving circuits can re-wire and partially take over lost functions — the same regenerative principle that underpins NovaGo’s spinal-cord programme.
