Cambridge NeuroScience Inc. announced Tuesday that it hasreceived a notice of allowance from the U.S. patent office for itslead neuroprotective compound, Cerestat, which is underdevelopment to treat stroke.

The patent allowance covers the composition of matter ofCerestat (CNS 1102), a small molecule that blocks the NMDA-ion channel, and more than 100 other similar chemicalstructures and backup compounds.

Cambridge Neuroscience (NASDAQ:CNSI) of Cambridge, Mass.,said it plans to launch a more aggressive clinical trialdevelopment program in the coming weeks. Phase Ib studiesare under way at six medical centers in New England toevaluate the safety of the product in stroke patients. Phase Iastudies in volunteers were completed in the United Kingdom.

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