News story
Scientist Gets Grant fo Develop New ED Treatment
Posted: Wednesday, 7 October, 2009 | Categories: erectile dysfunction, treatments
A researcher from the U.S has been awarded a grant to conduct clinical trials into a potential new treatment for erectile dysfunction. The researcher, Dr. Nestor Gonzalex-Cadavid, is already famous for his pioneering work into surgeries to treat erectile dysfunction.
Endogenous Stem Cells Activators, based in Los Angeles, have given the scientist’s company, LA BioMed, $1.2 million to see whether a medication named KRONOS IV, which has already been given approval by the FDA, could be used to reverse the aging process that can lead to impotence.
Dr Gonzalez-Cadavid’s previous surgical technique involved stem cells, which were used to rebuild penile tissue. In trials, he successfully led penile tissue in animal models to be restored through the implantation of adult stem cells taken from skeletal muscles. However the procedure is expensive and involves the difficulty of finding a stem-cell donor. He hopes that the new drug could replace the surgery.
In a press release, the scientist said that L.A BioMed appreciated ESAI’s ‘vote of confidence’. He described his research as a ‘new and promising approach’ to erectile dysfunction, but said that its application in clinics was remote as “it is invasive, restricted to the donor patient, expensive to generate and difficult to achieve approval under the Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) regulations. “ He continued, “KRONOS IV is based upon a generic drug presently on the market and approved by the FDA in the treatment of a certain medical condition, making it more available and less expensive."
ESAI said that they were expecting pre-clinical results for treatment of ED with KRONOS to be ready in up to 12 months and that if they were promising, clinical trials would be launched, with the eventual aim of seeing KRONOS IV licensed as an off-label ED medication.