A San Diego company that wants to stop brain cell deathfollowing stroke has received a small business innovationresearch (SBIR) grant to study one of its clinical candidates.

Cypros Pharmaceutical Corp. (formerly NeuroTherapeutics), abiopharmaceutical company, is developing a drug to fuel braincells when the supply of oxygenated blood is low.

The Phase 1 SBIR grant is for CPC-211. This small moleculeactivates an enzyme linking production pathways of the cellfuel ATP in the presence or absence of oxygen.

The 2-year-old company (NASDAQ:CYPR) has a three-prongedapproach to alleviate tissue damage due to low blood flow.Besides targeting fuel production in cells, it is working on novelpresynaptic modulators that preserve traumatized nerve cellsand novel presentation of existing drugs used to protect cells inother instances. This is the company's second SBIR grant, saidPaul Marangos, chairman and chief executive officer.

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