Scientists at Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Suzhou Vigonvita Life Sciences Co. Ltd. and The Xinjiang Technical Institute of Physics & Chemistry of the Chinese Academy of Sciences have disclosed NMDA receptor antagonists reported to be useful for the treatment of neurological disorders.
Sensorium Therapeutics Inc. has identified alkylated derivatives of mesembrine or mesembrenone acting as serotonin transporter (SERT) and/or phosphodiesterase PDE4 inhibitors reported to be useful for the treatment of anxiety, depression and stress disorders.
Scientists from the PsychENCODE Consortium have analyzed the brain transcriptome in a coordinated series of studies to map all the cell types, genes, epigenetic factors, and molecular pathways involved in different psychiatric disorders. After a first set of projects based on bulk analysis, the second phase of this project included 14 simultaneous publications that revealed the cellular atlas of post-traumatic stress disorder and major depressive disorder, among others.
Kapoose Creek Bio Corp. has announced the identification and advancement of two lead compounds with potential in neurology, specifically for indications in neurodegeneration and mental health. The compounds, KCB-100 and KCB-200, have shown potent neuroplastic and neuroprotective activity in gold-standard tests of primary neurons.
Tetra Pharm Technologies ApS and Kvanctify ApS have entered into a strategic partnership to accelerate the identification and development of novel drug candidates targeting the endocannabinoid system.
Scientists from the PsychENCODE Consortium have analyzed the brain transcriptome in a coordinated series of studies to map all the cell types, genes, epigenetic factors, and molecular pathways involved in different psychiatric disorders. After a first set of projects based on bulk analysis, the second phase of this project included 14 simultaneous publications that revealed the cellular atlas of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and major depressive disorder (MDD), among others.
The use of psychedelics is seeing impressive results in treating psychiatric disorders like treatment-resistant depression and post-traumatic stress disorder, and Mindbio Therapeutics Ltd. is expanding the field to include microdoses of lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) to treat depression and premenstrual syndrome.
Jiangsu Hansoh Pharmaceutical Group Co. Ltd. and Shanghai Hansoh Biomedical Co. Ltd. have described potassium voltage-gated channel subfamily KQT member 2/3 (KCNQ2/3) activators potentially useful for the treatment of epilepsy and depression.
Finding an effective medication for patients with major depressive disorder is notoriously difficult, with 70% of patients failing to respond to the first drug prescribed and 30% not responding to the first four medications. Complicating matters, genetic mutations can increase psychotropic drug-related adverse events, including hospitalizations. A recent study indicates Myriad Genetics Inc.’s Genesight test can help minimize the risk of these negative events, with a reduction of nearly 40% in psychiatric-related hospitalizations and prescription of medications with significant gene-drug interactions.
Addex Therapeutics has offloaded its portfolio of preclinical allosteric modulation drugs into Neurosterix, a new company that arrives on the scene with a $63 million series A round.
