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An experimental medicine could help improve movement for patients with spinal cord injuries.
NVG-291, an injectable peptide, has been tested in a phase 2 test with eligible patients, some of which indicated notable results.
Larry Williams, a trial participant based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, shared with Fox News Digital that he has been able to walk again after an accident that caused paralysis.
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Williams, 58, was on a mountain bike on a small path when he hit a tree. Although he had a helmet, he “instantly broke” his vertebrate C4 to C6 (specific bones in the cervical column).
He underwent spinal surgery, but was paralyzed for two weeks until his body began to “wake up” and recovered some movement after starting therapy.
Larry Williams of Philadelphia (in the photo) survived a mountain cycling accident that left him paralyzed. (Larry Williams)
Williams was able to walk “a little” with the help of a walker, but still had complications with mobility in areas like his hands. He also lost 40 pounds after the accident.
After some investigations, he discovered the NVG-291 trial and was considered a viable candidate, he told Fox News Digital.
For three months, as of April 2024, Williams received a daily drug injection followed by an hour of physiotherapy, which included manual exercises and walking with a harness on a flat track or running tape.
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Williams also underwent blood analysis and electrophysiological tests to measure the electrical activity of his nerves and muscles, as well as physical tests once a month.
At the end of the trial, Williams reported that he could walk 10 meters (32.8 feet), balanced with a walker, in 15 seconds, an improvement for 45 seconds.
Although he has not received the drug since July 2024, Williams continues to see physical improvements for a year later.
Larry Williams joined the NVG-291 trial as a patient with spinal cord injury in April 2024. (Larry Williams; Istock)
“I am not working very hard. I am not currently in therapy,” he told Fox News Digital. “But just a couple of days ago, I stood up and tried to endure freely, balance and raise one foot from the ground. I could do it for 30 seconds.”
“I hadn’t been practicing this. I can’t explain how it happened,” he added. “There are small improvements that continue to happen.”
Williams said he had tried the same maneuver six months before and that he could not retain his foot for even three seconds.
“There are small improvements that continue to happen.”
From the trial, Williams has continued to improve his ability to walk and can even swim in the pool.
“I approach other people with the same injury as me, and it seems that many of them, after years and years of therapy, reach where I am,” he said. “And it seems that they have given me a shortcut … I would love to get to the life I had before, being completely independent.”
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After taking the experimental medicine, Williams said he has been able to perform “easy and fast” physical tasks.
“The movement on my legs seems to be a bit softer and less restricted as time passed,” he said. “I will not give up. I will continue to press and try.”
How the drug works
In a separate interview with Fox News Digital, the principal researcher, Dr. Mónica Pérez, scientific president of Shirley Ryan Sallitylab in Chicago and professor of physical medicine and rehabilitation at the University of Northwestern, said that the drug was proven for the first time in animals, which showed a better locomotive function (movement).
Then, the researchers conducted a randomized clinical trial in humans, in which half of the participants received the NVG-291 drug, which contained a repair molecule to improve the function of the nervous system.
NVG-291 is a peptide drug that contains a repair molecule to improve the function of the nervous system. (Istock)
The medicine is a peptide, which is a small protein that functions as an obstacle remover. After a spinal cord injury, the body sends signals that tell the nerve fibers that stop growing. This drug blocks those signals, so the nerves have a better opportunity to grow again.
“This peptide can block those inhibitory signals,” Ryan said. “There is a little evidence in animals that you can actually improve neurons.”
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Although the agonists of the LPG-1 receiver, better known for weight loss and diabetes treatment, are a peptide, Pérez said that this treatment of spinal cord injuries works differently.
“It has a specific mechanism, and is more related to repair, to try to improve the growth of neurons affected by the lesion of the central nervous system,” he said.
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Spinal cord lesions are typically addressed with cell therapies, such as stem cells and bone marrow stromal cells, Pérez said.
This peptide approach, in contrast, is “easy to manage”, can be done at home, achieves a “similar objective” and is “extremely safe,” he added.
The researchers observed “electrophysiological changes” in the group that received the experimental medicine. (Istock)
Pérez said that more research is necessary to determine how long the effects of this medication will last.
“We observe strong electrophysiological changes in the group that received the medicine compared to the placebo group, but we have no monitoring measurements,” he said. “There is no way we understand the real duration of these treatments.”
As there is currently no treatment approved by the FDA for spinal cord injuries, Pérez said that those involved in this research are “very dedicated” to advance in this science.
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While each patient can react differently, Williams said he would recommend this treatment to other people with spinal cord injuries.
“I could really change things for people with injuries like mine,” he said. “I’m just praying so that everyone can have the opportunity to recover their lives.”
