Researchers from the University of Georgia found a new drug that may boost the brain's ability to heal itself after injury. The discovery could lead to significant advances in treating traumatic brain injuries, or TBIs.
There are currently no FDA-approved drugs that directly repair or prevent brain damage following TBI, a major gap in treatment. The compound, called CMX-2043, may help fill that void by increasing the enzymes that play a crucial role in mopping up harmful molecules after injury.
Franklin West (Photo by Dorothy Kozlowski)
"What really caught our attention was how CMX-2043 seemed to jumpstart the brain's natural defenses," said Franklin West, senior author of the study and a professor in the UGA College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences. West is also co-founder of the university's Regenerative Bioscience Center. "We saw clear increases in enzymes. Basically, they're the cleanup crew that rushes in after an injury. That tells us the therapy might really be stepping in where the brain needs support most."
Boosting brain's healing power could increase odds of recovery after TBI
Traumatic brain injuries set off a storm in the body marked by inflammation and damage to cells and tissue.
Millions of Americans experience a traumatic brain injury each year. And tens of thousands die because of their injury, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
CMX-2043 is an experimental drug based on a natural antioxidant. This antioxidant is known for helping cells fight off damage caused when there are too many free radicals in the body and not enough antioxidants to get rid of them. Originally studied for heart injury, this compound is now being tested to limit long-term brain damage after TBI.
Antioxidants linked to brain recovery
This study marks the first time brain-specific enzyme activity has been observed in a swine model, suggesting a possible link between antioxidant power and the brain's ability to recover.
"When the brain's antioxidant defenses were stronger, the damage we saw on MRI scans was lower. That's a big deal. It means we might be able to help the brain heal better by boosting its own repair systems," said Erin Kaiser, co-author of the study and an assistant professor in College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences.
"What surprised us was that CMX-2043 didn't directly cause the changes we saw in antioxidant enzyme levels," said lead author Hea Jin Park, an associate professor in the UGA College of Family and Consumer Sciences. "Those shifts were actually the body's own reaction to the injury, but CMX-2043 may be helping to strengthen that built-in defense system."
The early data really points to something promising: that boosting the brain's own cleanup crew could help tilt the odds toward recovery after trauma." -Franklin West, Regenerative Bioscience Center
The next step? Turning to non-invasive tools like magnetic resonance spectroscopy to track this response in real time and explore how the drug might help in human TBI treatment.
West and Kaiser are currently working on a TBI treatment with Steven Stice, director of the Regenerative Bioscience Center, and Jarrod Call, professor of pharmacology in the College of Veterinary Medicine.
"The early data really points to something promising: that boosting the brain's own cleanup crew could help tilt the odds toward recovery after trauma," West said.
