NEURON BPh uses its proprietary yeast, cell line, zebrafish and mouse model tools to screen a series of commercial and non-commercial statin compounds for their neuroprotective properties. Along these lines, the company has to date identified several, potentially neuroprotective and hypocholesteremic molecules, that have entered the company’s development pipeline. These compounds are potentially useful for the treatment and/or prevention of epilepsy, seizures, convulsive crises, neurodegenerative diseases and pathologic processes associated with abnormal oxidation.

As a result of these findings, NEURON BPh has filed a patent application with the invention relating to the potential use of NST0021 as anticonvulsant (anti-epileptic), antioxidant and neuroprotective compounds for neurodegenerative and aging processes.

NST0021, is a generic statin which is currently marketed as a hypocholesterolemic and has been found to prevent the main hallmarks of neurodegeneration in brain regions that are strongly associated with Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease in zebrafish and mouse models. This preventive effect is located in brain regions parallel to those affected in Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s patients.

NEURON BPh has also filed two patent applications relating to novel statin derivatives NST0037 and NST0005 as  neuroprotectants

The company has been able to demonstrate the anti-excitotoxic and anti-epileptic effects of NST0021, NST0037 and NST0005 by using a classic mouse model that causes seizures and excitotoxic neurodegeneration in the cerebral areas associated with Alzheimer's disease.

Excitotoxicity is an important pathological mechanism underlying acute and delayed neuronal death and is secondarily associated with several neurodegenerative processes such as epilepsy, seizures, ischemia, Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease. The systemic administration of glutamatergic agonists induces seizures, the production of reactive oxygen species, mitochondrial dysfunction, neuronal death and inflammation. As a result, NEURON is developing these compounds as neuroprotectants that counteract oxidative stress, neuronal death and cognitive impairment.

Pre-clinical efficacy and safety are tested in an extensive battery of company-own screens in cell lines, zebrafish and mouse models.

The company has also filed a patent application to protect a novel method to produce statin derivatives using proprietary fungal strains.

NEURON BPh has a comprehensive set of standard operating procedures (SOPs) and quality control steps in place.

NST0005;  ES200800718

NST0021; Patent application ES200801733

Biosynthesis of statin derivates; Patent applications ES200802971 and PCT/ES2009/000167

NST0037; Patent application EP09382051.2

NEURON BPh is looking for a pharma partner who is willing to enter into

1).- A license agreement for our compounds.

2).- Co-development of our compounds.

3).- A license agreement for our biosynthesis method.