A team at Case Western Reserve University has come up with a new approach to treating Multiple Sclerosis. They’ve also launched a business to bring the new therapy to market.
The company is called Convelo Therapeutics.
Co-founders Paul Tesar and Drew Adams collaborated on research at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine that focused on restoring the brain cells that produce the protective coating on nerve cells called myelin.
In MS the myelin is stripped away, leading to loss of movement and other impairments for those affected.
Tesar and Adams discovered a set of molecules that allow cells in the brain called oligodendrocytes to repair the damage.
Tesar hopes the new company can bring the drugs from the lab to the bedside.
“Something that Drew and I felt very strongly about was to get this out into the commercial sector into an early-stage company that could develop and discover these and other molecules with the ultimate goal of being able to test these in patients,” Tesar said.
Investors provided $7.8 million in seed capital to begin the work of testing in humans.
Tesar said the company will also begin development of therapies for brain injuries and Alzheimer’s using the new technology.
MS affects 2.3 million people worldwide.
