NouvNeu001 – a new drug to treat Parkinson's disease – enters clinical research. [Photo/WeChat account of Optics Valley of China]

On Aug 2, the National Medical Products Administration officially approved the investigational new drug (IND) application for NouvNeu001, a new drug to treat Parkinson's disease developed by Wuhan iRegene Therapeutics Co, which is based in the East Lake High-tech Development Zone (also known as Optics Valley of China, or OVC).

This is the first chemically induced universal cell therapy product in the world for Parkinson's treatment to enter clinical stages.

Despite being discovered over 200 years ago, Parkinson's disease remains an incurable and irreversible disease. Data shows that the prevalence rate of the disease among Chinese individuals aged 65 or above is 1.7 percent. Based on this estimate, China has nearly 3.7 million with the disease, and more young patients are being discovered.

Unlike conventional medication or surgical treatments, NouvNeu001 focuses on clinical demand by utilizing compounds to achieve precise cellular functional transformation. Various disease models treated with NouvNeu001 have shown significant behavioral and physiological improvements after four weeks of administration.

iRegene's research team. [Photo/WeChat account of Optics Valley of China]

The outstanding performance of the drug is the result of efforts by the firm's powerful research team. Professor Luo Yonglun, the chief scientist at iRegene, stated that their team has integrated developmental biology, chemistry, and other interdisciplinary fields, solidifying an "AI + chemical induction" platform.

iRegene has assembled an international team with educational or professional backgrounds in the United Kingdom, the United States, Germany, Australia, and Japan. The company possesses over 15 years of successful experience in biomedical innovation, translational medicine and clinical research, bio-pharmaceutical regulations, multinational pharmaceutical operation management, and capital operation.

The company's international expansion has already begun, with the establishment of an innovation center in Denmark, operational offices in Singapore, and a business office in the United States all put into use in 2022.

To support global clinical trials, iRegene has built a large-scale industrial production base to achieve independent and controllable supply chains for drug manufacturing.