Curry Drug Could Help Rebuild Brain Cells After Stroke

Curry Drug Could Help Rebuild Brain Cells After Stroke
A drug derived from the popular curry spice turmeric could help aid the recovery of stroke patients, U.S. researchers found.

Scientists from Cedars-Sinai Medical Center announced Wednesday that they created a new molecule from curcumin -- a chemical component of turmeric -- and found in laboratory experiments that it affects mechanisms that protect and help regenerate brain cells after a stroke.

The new drug, called CNB-001, does not attack clots but instead repairs stroke damage at the molecular level that supports pathways that feed brain cells, said research scientist Dr. Paul Lapchak, of Cedars-Sinai Medical Center.