NervGen's Clinical Trial (Episode 92)
Guest: Monica Perez
Today’s conversation is a highly anticipated one. For years we’ve been hearing about the groundbreaking work of Jerry Silver to render the injury scar permeable to axon growth. That work led to development of the pharmacologic NVG-291 and the associated company NervGen Pharma. The research has finally advanced to a human SCI clinical trial, led by Monica Perez, PT, PhD, who's today's guest. Dr. Perez is the scientific chair of the Arm and Hands Lab at Shirley Ryan AbilityLab and a Professor of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at Northwestern University in Chicago. In this conversation we talk about what led Monica into SCI research, her role as Principal Investigator in this clinical trial, the background and study design of the trial and its current recruitment of participants.
As always, please share your thoughts with us via email at curecast@u2fp.org. Thanks for listening!
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Bumper music: Dig a Hole by Freaque
Guest Bio
Monica Perez, PT, PhD, is the Scientific Chair of the Arms + Hands Lab at the Shirley Ryan AbilityLab, a Professor in the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at Northwestern University, and a Research Scientist at the Edward Jr. Hines VA Hospital. She has studied neural mechanisms contributing to the control of voluntary movement in healthy humans and in people with spinal cord injury for over 15 years. Her research aims to understand how the brain and spinal cord contribute to the control of movement with the ultimate goal of using this mechanistic information to develop more effective rehabilitation therapies for people with spinal cord injury. This theme is mainly investigated from a neurophysiological point of view, using a combination of transcranial magnetic stimulation, magnetic resonance imaging, electrical stimulation, and behavioral techniques.
More Resources
Clinical Trial Info
- A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Phase 1b/2a Study of NVG-291 in Spinal Cord Injury Subjects: Apply to participate in this trial
- Study details from ClinicalTrials.gov: NVG-291 in Spinal Cord Injury Subjects
Related Presentations & Podcasts
- Monica Perez: A Novel Approach to Target Functional Restoration after Spinal Cord Injury (U2FP Symposium 2022)
- Nana Collett (NervGen): Industry Perspective on Developing a Therapeutic for Spinal Cord Injury (U2FP Symposium 2022)
- Jerry Silver: An Interview with Jerry Silver - CureCast Episode 19
Websites & Social Media
- NervGen Pharma
- Shirley Ryan AbilityLab
- X (Twitter): @NervgenP
- Facebook: nervgen
- YouTube: NervGen Pharma
- LinkedIn: NervGen
Acknowledgments
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This podcast is made possible by a grant from the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation’s National Paralysis Resource Center. The information provided and opinions expressed in these podcasts do not necessarily reflect the views of the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation. For more information about the Foundation’s National Paralysis Resource Center visit https://www.christopherreeve.org/living-with-paralysis
