Novogen identifies family of compounds to promote brain stem cell growth

Shares of Australian biotech firm Novogen (ASX: NRT) were up 33.2% at A$2.78 on Thursday, having leapt as much as 50%, after the company announced an important discovery in its regenerative medicine program that has delivered a key proof-of-concept step forward in the quest to develop drugs capable of stimulating the function of brain tissue stem cells.

Novogen scientists have now, in an important scientific breakthrough, identified a family of compounds with an ability to promote the growth and activity of normal brain stem cells.

The dominant approach being taken to brain regeneration is the introduction of tissue stem cells that have been cultured outside of the body. However, delivery of these cells through the skull is very invasive and, so far, these cells seem to be susceptible to the same constraints that limit the resident stem cell population.