Phase I small business innovation research grant was awarded to Neurion by the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH). Dr Paul Bennett, Neurion’s vice president of discovery, said: “The NIMH has recognized the value of our technology as a potential breakthrough in neuropharmacology”.
Dr Bennett went on to explain the value of the grant for Neurion: “Strategically, this grant puts Neurion in a very strong position to advance our goals of developing non-sedating anti-anxiety drugs, as well as novel ion channel drugs for other diseases and disorders of the CNS (central nervous system).”
Successful treatment of generalized anxiety disorders (GAD) is a major unmet medical need. According to the NIMH, four million adult Americans aged between 18 and 54 suffer from GAD. About twice as many women as men are affected.
The recent progress in molecular neuro-genetics has revealed the existence of multiple GABA receptor sub-types and their involvement in sleep, mood and anxiety. These discoveries open the door for new drugs targeted to specific GABA(A) receptor subtypes to be developed.
Neurion’s GABA(A) research program is specifically focused on the GABA(A)-alpha2 receptor subtype, which, evidence indicates, is associated with anxiety, but not with the sedation or memory effects. Neurion’s goal is to produce a novel anti-anxiety drug that would avoid the sleepiness and memory impairment that anxiety sufferers may encounter when taking existing anti-anxiety medications, such as benzodiazepines.
The award will help fund commercialization of Neurion’s unique technology that enables the precise understanding of the molecular interactions that define drug selectivity.