Central nervous system (CNS) disorders include acute brain injury such as stroke and degenerative conditions such as Parkinson’s disease. A large portion of the population is afflicted by different CNS disorders, with approximately $36 billion spent annually on prescriptive CNS drugs. Treatments for CNS disorders vary in effectiveness, and there are many conditions for which there are no safe and effective drugs. Many of the commercially available drugs merely treat the symptoms and do not provide cures.

Cell apoptosis plays a major role in the disease process of ischemic, traumatic, and degenerative disorders in the central nervous system. Modified fullerenes have been shown to reduce glutamate-induced cell death and lower intracellular calcium concentrations, a cause of neuronal death.

Tego intends to initially focus on developing drugs for acute brain injuries such as stroke. The cost and length of clinical trials for acute brain injuries are likely to be substantially less than those for degenerative CNS conditions. In the long, the company intends to use its compounds for treatment of diseases such as Parkinson’s, Alzheimers, and ALS.