RegeneRx Biopharmaceuticals, Inc. (OTC Bulletin Board: RGRX) ("the Company" or "RegeneRx") has announced that researchers have found that Thymosin beta 4 (Tβ4), in a dose dependent manner, stimulates oligodendrogenesis, the process by which central nervous system (CNS) progenitor cells (immature specialized brain cells) become oligodendrocytes that secrete myelin, the covering of nerve fibers. This process is important for the repair, regeneration and function of CNS tissue damaged by disease or trauma.
The research team was led by Dr. Dan Morris, of the Henry Ford Hospital System in Detroit, Michigan. Dr. Morris is presenting his findings at the Society of Academic Emergency Medicine meeting on June 1st.
Dr. Morris has previously shown that Tβ4 significantly improves neurological functional outcome in a CNS rat model after embolic stroke. His work in the field brings us closer to understanding the mechanisms underlying the differentiation of immature oligodendrocytes into mature oligodendrocytes in patients suffering stroke, multiple sclerosis and traumatic brain injury.