HEALTH CARE : Grant Funds Research to Ease Side Effects of Chemotherapy

An effective treatment for the debilitating side effects of cancer chemotherapy is still, by many accounts, years away. But Cortex Pharmaceuticals Inc. in Irvine hopes that a little seed money will set the company on the long road toward a cure.

The National Cancer Institute recently awarded Cortex Pharmaceuticals a $49,000 grant so that it can begin studying ways to treat peripheral neuropathy, which affects more than 1 million Americans each year.

Peripheral neuropathy is a condition in which patients lose feeling in their hands, arms, feet and legs. Though there are several causes for the condition, chemotherapy for cancer is to blame for a large percentage of peripheral neuropathy cases.

Cortex scientists will seek to discover and develop drugs that block the effects of anti-cancer drugs on the nervous system.

The grant will provide $49,000 for the next six months. The company could ultimately receive more than $600,000 in grants.