Nourexal — a drug to help donor hearts survive longer during transport
Official title: Nourexal™: A Novel Bioenergetic Drug to Increase Donor Heart Utilization
Funded at Nour Heart, INC. · NIH-11194294 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project prepares Nourexal for initial safety testing in healthy volunteers so donated hearts can be kept longer and reach more transplant patients.
Quick facts
| Grant type | Sbir 2 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Nour Heart, INC. NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Vienna, United States) |
| Project start | September 20, 2024 |
| Project end | June 30, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $1,923,922 |
| NIH project number | 5R44HL174138-02 |
| Project ID | NIH-11194294 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal participants for the planned Phase I trial are healthy adults without major medical problems who can attend clinic visits and follow safety monitoring.
✕Less likely to help
People currently awaiting a transplant will not receive direct benefit from this Phase I safety trial, and those with unstable heart disease are unlikely to qualify.
What this research studies
The team will produce clinical-grade Nourexal (Cyclocreatine Phosphate), complete manufacturing controls, and file an IND with the FDA. After regulatory clearance they plan a Phase I safety trial in healthy adult volunteers to study tolerability and basic drug behavior. In animal studies (rats and dogs) Nourexal boosted heart energy, reduced cell injury and inflammation, and allowed much longer cold storage with good recovery after transplant. If the drug proves safe in people, future trials could test giving Nourexal to donors or during heart storage to increase the number of usable donor hearts.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, Nourexal could let donated hearts be transported and preserved for much longer, increasing the number of hearts available for transplant.
How similar studies have gone: Similar bioenergetic approaches showed strong protection in animal models, but human testing of Nourexal is novel.
Where this research is happening
-
Nour Heart, INC.
Vienna, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Elgebaly, Salwa a — Nour Heart, INC.
- Study coordinator: Elgebaly, Salwa a
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.