Abstract
Current therapies for neurodegenerative and psychiatric diseases leave much to
be desired. Alzheimer' s and Parkinson' s diseases are an increasing burden on
the health care systems of the developed countries as the proportion of their
elderly population rises. As for psychiatric disorders, their social and
economic impact can be measured by the fact that antipsychotics and
antidepressants account for nearly a quarter of total sales for the world' s
top 10 best-selling drugs. Potential Breakthroughs in Neurotherapeutics:
Alzheimer' s Disease, Parkinson' s Disease, Depression, Bipolar Disorder, and
Schizophrenia, a new CHA Advances report, provides a comprehensive
assessment of truly innovative, early-stage research that we feel will
translate into significant advances in neurotherapy. Specifically, it:
- Surveys current basic academic research relevant to drug or target
discovery
- Highlights topics that show promise of future commercial potential
- Examines conditions in the technology transfer milieu relevant to these
emerging opportunities
- Assesses the commercial potential for these emerging opportunities
- Seeks the views of individuals in industry and academia with insight into
the foregoing issues
The report begins with an analysis of the technology transfer process that
bridges university research and the commercial world ― its triumphs, but also
its difficulties operating in the current risk-aversive commercial
environment. Although industrial R&D activity focused on CNS disorders is
intense, progress toward significant innovation remains slow and largely
dependent on new leads generated from academia. Potential Breakthroughs in
Neurotherapeutics describes one research program in neurology that is
turning out to be a ' poster child' for translational medicine.
For each of the 5 diseases, Potential Breakthroughs in
Neurotherapeutics reviews consensus thinking about the pathophysiological
mechanisms, targets, and the state-of-the-art in drug therapy. Then it
launches into a review of significant research findings in each disease ― the
compounds and their targets already in discovery or early development with
potential therapeutic value. In evaluating the commercial potential of each
target or compound, the report relies on a proprietary scoring system based on
the following criteria:
- Stage of the project
- Number of directly related citations in PubMed
- Strength of the mechanistic story and theoretical support
- Efficacy probability based on studies in cells, tissues, or animal disease
models
- Overall rating from 1 (worst) to 10 (best)
More than 125 compounds and more than 40 targets, sponsored by 82 companies,
are subjected to this rigorous evaluative process. Moreover, early stage
research within each disease area is given an overall rating, and particularly
strong compounds, targets, or therapeutic approaches are singled out for
discussion. The report supplements this rich analysis with interviews with 8
thought leaders in neurotherapeutics from industry and academia, plus profiles
of 20 companies at the forefront of CNS research.
Table of Contents
CHAPTER 1.
INTRODUCTION: NEUROLOGICAL DISORDERS HAVE CLEAR UNMET NEEDS
- 1.1. Clarifying the Problems
- 1.2. Translating the Research
CHAPTER 2.
CURRENT STATUS AND TRENDS IN TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER
- 2.1. The Nature of Technology Transfer Today
- 2.2. Effects of Government Policy on Technology Transfer
- Dry-eye Therapeutic Agent
- Blood Glucose Monitoring
- 2.3. Problems Surrounding Technology Transfer
- 2.4. Translational Medicine Comes to Academia
CHAPTER 3.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION ON DISEASES TARGETED FOR THIS REPORT
- 3.1. Alzheimer' s Disease
- Key Findings Translated into Therapeutic Advances
- State of the Art in Drug Therapy
- 3.2. Parkinson' s Disease
- Key Findings Translated into Therapeutic Advances
- State of the Art in Drug Therapy
- 3.3. Unipolar Depression
- Key Findings Translated into Therapeutic Advances
- State of the Art in Commercial Applications
- 3.4. Bipolar Disorder
- Key Findings Translated into Therapeutic Advances
- State of the Art in Drug Therapy
- 3.5. Schizophrenia
- Key Findings Translated into Therapeutic Advances
- State of the Art in Drug Therapy
CHAPTER 4.
CURRENT BASIC RESEARCH FINDINGS WITH HIGH POTENTIAL FOR COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
- 4.1. Alzheimer' s Disease
- Compounds and Targets Currently in Discovery or Development
- Disease-Modification Approaches
- Acetylcholine Receptor Modulation
- Other Approaches
- Miscellaneous Mechanisms
- Recent Advances Potentially Leading to New Therapies
- p25/Cdk5
- GSK-3
- Fyn
- ERK Pathway
- Wnt Pathway
- LR11
- Amyloid and Ion Channels
- Aß Degrading Enzymes
- Oxidative Stress
- Microtubule-Associated Proteins
- Prostaglandin E2 E Prostanoid Subtype 2 (PGE2 EP2) Receptors
- Cholesterol Metabolism and the LDL Receptor
- Cannabinoid Receptors
- 4.2. Parkinson' s Disease
- Compounds and Targets Currently in Discovery or Development
- Recepter Agonists and Antagonists
- Gene Therapy
- Other Approaches
- Recent Advances Potentially Leading to New Therapies
- Leucine-Rich Repeat Kinase 2 (Lrrk2)
- Parkin
- PINK1
- PPARγ
- p53
- Heme Oxygenase-1
- Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptors (nAChRs)
- NADPH Oxidase
- 4.3. Unipolar Depression
- Compounds and Targets in Discovery or Development
- Neurotransmitter Modulation
- Recent Advances Potentially Leading to New Therapies
- Microtubule Stabilization
- Cannabinoid CB1 Receptor
- The Fibroblast Growth Factor (FGF) System
- p11 (S100A10)
- PAR-4
- PSD-95
- Galanin
- 4.4 Bipolar Disorder
- Compounds and Targets in Discovery or Development
- Recent Advances Potentially Leading to New Therapies
- PSD-95
- PACAP
- FAT Gene
- Protein Kinase C (PKC)
- BAG-1
- GSK-3
- Inositol Metabolism
- Arachidonic Acid Cascade
- 4.5. Schizophrenia
- Compounds and Targets in Discovery or Development
- Serotonin Receptor Antagonists
- Multiple Factors in Causation
- Recent Advances Potentially Leading to New Therapies
- COMT and PRODH
- Protein Kinase C (PKC)
- Neuregulin 1
- DISC1
- Dysbindin-1
- PSD-95
CHAPTER 5.
COMMERCIAL POTENTIAL OF SELECTED RESEARCH FINDINGS
- 5.1. Alzheimer' s Disease
- p25/cdk5
- Glycogen synthase kinase-3 (GSK-3)
- Fyn
- ERK Pathway
- Wnt Pathway
- LR11 (SorLA)
- Amyloid Ion Channels
- Aß Degrading Enzymes
- Inflammation and Microglia
- Oxidative Stress
- Microtubule-Associated Proteins
- Prostaglandin E2 E Prostanoid Subtype 2 Receptors (PGE2EP2)
- Cholesterol Metabolism and the LDL Receptor
- Cannabinoid Receptors
- Summary
- 5.2. Parkinson' s Disease
- Lrrk2
- Parkin
- PINK1
- PPARγ
- p53
- Heme Oxygenase-1 (HO-1)
- Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptors (nAChRs)
- NADPH Oxidase
- Summary
- 5.3. Unipolar Depression
- Microtubule Stabilization
- Cannabinoid CB1 Receptor
- The Fibroblast Growth Factor (FGF) System
- p11 (S100A10)
- PAR-4
- PSD-95
- Galanin
- Summary
- 5.4. Bipolar Disorder
- PSD-95
- PACAP
- FAT Gene
- Protein Kinase C (PKC)
- BAG-1
- GSK-3
- Inositol Metabolism
- Arachidonic Acid Cascade
- Summary
- 5.5. Schizophrenia
- COMT and PRODH
- Protein Kinase C (PKC)
- Neuregulin
- DISC1
- Dysbindin-1
- PSD-95
- Summary
CHAPTER 6.
EXPERT COMMENTARIES
- 6.1. Mark A. Smith, PhD, Professor of Pathology, Case Western Reserve
University
- 6.2. Maryka Quik, PhD, Professor, The Parkinson' s Institute
- 6.3. Ross L. Stein, PhD, Director, Laboratory for Drug Discovery in
Neurodegeneration, Harvard Center for Neurodegeneration and Repair
- 6.4. Susan L. Stoddard, PhD, Licensing Manager, Mayo Clinic
- 6.5. Michael Palfreyman, PhD, DSc, Vice President, Program Management and
Drug Development, En Vivo Pharmaceuticals
- 6.6. C. Anthony Altar, Ph.D., President and CSO, Psychiatric Genomics
- 6.7. Robert G. Urban, PhD, President and CEO, Acretia
- 6.8. Pamela Sklar, MD, PhD, Associate Professor of Psychiatry, Harvard
Medical School
CHAPTER 7.
COMPANY PROFILES
- 7.1. Acadia Pharmaceuticals
- 7.2. Axonyx
- 7.3. Biomind
- 7.4. Cortex
- 7.5. Cytos Biotechnology
- 7.6. Elan
- 7.7. En Vivo
- 7.8. ExonHit
- 7.9. GlaxoSmithKline
- 7.10. Lay Line Genomics
- 7.11. Memory Pharmaceuticals
- 7.12. Merck & Co.
- 7.13. Neuro3D
- 7.14. Neurochem
- 7.15. Nymox
- 7.16. Panacea Pharmaceuticals
- 7.17. Psychiatric Genomics
- 7.18. Roche
- 7.19. sanofi-aventis
- 7.20. TorreyPines Therapeutics
References
Index