Researchers from the University of Copenhagen and the Psychiatric Center Copenhagen have uncovered the cellular and synaptic effects of the drug VU-0364572, a selective modulator of the M1 muscarinic acetylcholine receptor.
Mira Pharmaceuticals Inc. has announced new animal study results with SKNY-1, highlighting its potential as an oral therapeutic to address both obesity and nicotine addiction. This follows the recent report of in vitro data on SKNY-1.
Mira Pharmaceuticals Inc. has reported new in vitro preclinical data supporting the therapeutic potential of SKNY-1, a next-generation oral drug candidate being developed by Skny Pharmaceuticals Inc.
Opioid use disorder (OUD) remains a significant public health crisis, with over 5 million people diagnosed in the U.S. in 2023 and more than 80,000 fatal overdoses involving opioids each year. Current FDA-approved medications for OUD target the micro-opioid receptor, but these treatments are still associated with high relapse rates during abstinence.
Currently available therapeutic strategies for alcohol use disorder (AUD) have limited efficacy, with many patients not responding to treatment. The dopaminergic system, involved in motivation and the reinforcing effects of drugs, has been proposed as an interesting target in AUD.
Indivior plc has successfully advanced its GABA-B positive allosteric modulator (PAM) program for substance use disorders through IND-enabling studies with the completion of the last preclinical safety and toxicity studies.
Research of the neuroimmune mechanisms involved in stress-related fear revealed how astrocytes interact with neurons in the amygdala. The study, led by Harvard scientists, also unveiled that this interaction recruited monocytes to the meninges during chronic stress and showed how psychedelic compounds reversed monocyte accumulation in the meninges and reduced fear behavior.
Ignite Biomedical Inc. and Liquid Biosciences have announced the discovery of biomarkers to diagnose substance use disorder (SUD). The set of biomarkers includes some that have not previously been associated with addiction and spans all 6 SUDs (opioid, cocaine, methamphetamine, alcohol, nicotine and cannabis use disorders).
Amygdala Neurosciences Inc. has selected ANS-858 as its lead clinical candidate for substance use disorders, that includes alcohol and cocaine use disorders. The selective, reversible, orally bioavailable, small-molecule inhibitor of aldehyde dehydrogenase 2 (ALDH2) is designed to reduce the rewarding effects associated with alcohol and other substances.