A growing body of scientific evidence shows that nerve fibers in the brain and spinal cord are capable of a certain degree of self-repair or regeneration, but are inhibited from regenerating following an injury by the scar that forms, for example after SCI.

Acorda is testing chondroitinase, a bacterial enzyme that has been shown to modify the scar and to improve motor and sensory function in animal models of SCI. The Company’s chondroitinase research program includes several behavioral studies that have demonstrated a beneficial effect of chondroitinase on both locomotion and bladder control in rats with moderate to severe SCI.

Results of an Acorda study were published in the Journal of Neurotrauma in February 2005. The research shows efficacy of chondroitinase in a clinically relevant model of SCI – the contusion injury. Previous SCI studies that have been reported have examined partial transection models, which are not representative of the majority of human spinal cord injuries, and therefore not necessarily predictive of efficacy in human studies.

The Company is currently looking for a partner to help bring chondroitinase into clinical trials.