CRADA covers Arbor Vita’s early-stage investigational treatment for stroke.
The Walter Reed Army Institute of Research (WRAIR) and Arbor Vita (AVC) signed a CRADA related to a treatment for traumatic brain injury (TBI). The alliance will assess the use of AVC’s Phase I stroke therapy, NA-1, as a neuroprotective agent for those with TBIs.
Arbor Vita will supply the clinical materials of NA-1 along with supporting preclinical and human clinical research data. WRAIR will conduct a dose-response study to establish proof of efficacy in a variety of brain injury models. If successful, the institute will carry out additional trials in support of Phase II development.
NA-1, which was developed with NoNO, targets a PDZ protein; these proteins organize and regulate many signaling pathways in cells. The disruption of PDZ interactions could control the death of neurons in the brain following a stroke or brain injury.
To date, almost all Phase II and III neuroprotection clinical trials for stroke and TBI have failed to show any consistent improvement in outcome, the organizations note. Only therapies that ameliorate blood flow or target secondary effects are in clinical use.