The paralyzed man in a bicycle accident takes up the walking capacity in the peptide medication trial

An experimental drug could help improve the movement for patients with spinal cord damage.

NVG -291, an injectable peptide, was tested in a phase 2 trial with eligible patients – some of which noted remarkable results.

Larry Williams, a participant in the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania trial, shared with Fox News Digital that he had been able to walk again after an accident that caused paralysis.

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Williams, 58, was mountainable on a small path when he hit a tree. Although he wears a helmet, he “instantly broken” his C4 with vertebrates C6 (specific bones in the cervical column).

He underwent surgery of the spine, but was paralyzed for two weeks until his body begins to “wake up” and found a certain movement after starting treatment.

Larry Williams of Philadelphia (photo) survived a mountain bike accident that left him paralyzed. (Larry Williams)

Williams was able to walk “a little” with the help of a walker, but always had mobility complications in areas like his hands. He also lost 40 pounds after the accident.

After some research, he discovered the NVG-291 test and was considered a viable candidate, he told Fox News Digital.

For three months, from April 2024, Williams received a daily injection of the drug followed by an hour of physiotherapy, which included exercises by hand and a walk with a harness on a flat track or a treadmill.

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Williams has also undergone blood tests 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 had been able to walk 10 meters (32.8 feet), balanced with a walker, in 15 seconds, an improvement of more than 45 seconds.

Although he has not received the medication since July 2024, Williams continues to see physical improvements more than a year later.

Larry Williams joined the NVG-291 trial as a patient with a spinal cord lesion in April 2024. (Larry Williams; Istock)

“I do not train very hard. I am not currently in therapy,” he told Fox News Digital. “But just a few days ago, I got up and tried to stabilize, balance and lift a foot on the ground. I was able to do it for 30 seconds.”

“I hadn’t practiced this. I can’t explain how it happened,” he added. “There are small improvements that continue to occur.”

Williams said he had tried the same maneuver six months earlier and that he could not hold back the foot of the ground for three seconds.

“There are small improvements that continue to occur.”

Since the trial, Williams has continued to improve his walking capacity and can even swim tricks in the pool.

“I reach out to other people with the same injury as me, and it seems that many of them, after years and years of therapy, arrive where I am,” he said. “And it seems that I have received a shortcut … I would like to arrive at the life I had before, to be fully independent.”

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After taking the experimental medication, Williams said he was able to perform physical tasks “easily and quickly”.

“The movement in my legs seems to be a little smoother and less limited over time,” he said. “I’m not going to give up. I will continue to push and try.”

How does the drug work

In a separate interview with Fox News Digital, principal researcher, the DRE Monica Perez, scientific president of the Shirley Ryan capacity in Chicago and professor of physical medicine and rehabilitation to the Northwestern University, said that the drug had been tested for the first time on animals, which presented an improved locomotor function (movement).

The researchers then conducted a randomized clinical trial in humans, in which half of the participants received the drug NVG-291, which contained a repair molecule to improve the function of the nervous system.

NVG-291 is a peptide medicine that contains a repair molecule to improve the function of the nervous system. (istock)

The drug is a peptide, which is a small protein that works like a roadblock dissoller. After a spinal cord injury, the body sends signals that say that the nerve fibers stop growing. This drug blocks these signals, so the nerves are better to repel.

“This peptide can block these inhibitory signals,” said Ryan. “There is a little evidence in animals that he can really improve the growth of neurons.”

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Although the agonists of GLP-1 receptors, better known for weight loss and diabetes treatment, are a peptide, Perez said that this spinal cord treatment works differently.

“It has a specific mechanism, and it is more linked to repair, to try to improve the growth of neurons affected by the lesions of the central nervous system,” she said.

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The spinal cord lesions are generally approached with cellular therapies, such as stem cells and stromal cells of the bone marrow, noted Perez.

This peptide approach, on the other hand, is “easy to administer”, can be done at home, reaches a “similar objective” and is “extremely safe”, she added.

Researchers observed “electrophysiological changes” in the group that received the experimental medication. (istock)

Perez said more research is needed to determine the duration of the effects of this medication.

“We have observed strong electrophysiological changes in the group that received the drug compared to the placebo group, but we have no follow-up measures,” she said. “There is no way for us to understand the actual duration of these treatments.”

As there is currently no treatment approved by the FDA for spinal cord lesions, Perez said that people involved in this research are “very dedicated” to advance this science.

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Although each patient can react differently, Williams said he would recommend this treatment to other people suffering from spinal cord lesions.

“It could really change things for people with injury like mine,” he said. “I pray just so that everyone can have the opportunity to resume their life.”