Today, Neuralstem, Inc. announced that it has received notice of allowance for U.S. Patent Applications 12/939,897 and 12/939,914 entitled: “Compositions to Effect Neuronal Growth.” These patents cover three new compounds and include structure and method claims for inducing neurogenesis and the in-vitro and in-vivo growth of new neurons.

Neuralstem’s first neurogenic patented compound is currently in a FDA-approved Phase I safety trial in major depressive disorder. Phase IA of the trial, which will use healthy volunteers, is scheduled to be completed in August. The Phase IB safety trial, which will use depressed patients, will commence this fall.

“These patents cover additional new chemical entities from our neurogenic program and broaden our potential clinical development pipeline,” said Karl Johe, Ph.D., Neuralstem Chairman and Chief Scientific Officer. “Our proprietary neural stem cell technology allows for a unique window into the process of neurogenesis. Through this, we’ve discovered novel chemical compounds that are truly neurogenic. We believe that our portfolio of neurogenic compounds will be at the forefront of novel treatments for psychiatric and cognitive diseases that focus on neural regeneration, not just brain chemistry.”

Richard Garr, Neuralstem President & CEO, added, “This is also an important validation of our screening platform. We are not only able to identify neurogenic and neuroprotective compounds by screening against our cells, but we can also identify novel, patentable compounds, across a diverse chemical library. As the patents run out across the industry on many CNS drugs, we believe Neuralstem is well-positioned to provide value to our future development partners.”

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