Naason News 2019

Osong, South Korea, July 10, 2019 - Addex Therapeutics announced July 9 that it will lead a consortium for the development of small-molecule negative allosteric modulators (NAMs) targeting the metabotropic glutamate receptor 7 (mGlu7) as a potential treatment to reduce fear memory in post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The project, named DiSARM FEAR, has been awarded a €4.85 million Eurostars grant to cover research activities performed by all participants, including Naason Science (South Korea), Endotherm (Germany), Nucro Technics (Canada) and Radboud University (Netherlands), in addition to Addex.

PTSD is a serious anxiety disorder that can lead to intense fear and anxiety. Current medication is unspecific and ineffective, with a number of side effects. By selectively targeting mGlu7 with NAMs, the brain circuitries involved in fear and anxiety can be precisely modulated, potentially resulting in higher efficacy and fewer side effects.

The project will capitalize on the significant discovery and preclinical investigations already achieved at Addex, including preclinical studies performed using ADX71743, a prototypical selective mGlu7 receptor NAM identified and characterized by Addex (Kalinichev et al. 2013. J.Pharmcol.Exp. Ther. 344, 624-636). Published and unpublished data generated with this compound in preclinical models demonstrates the central role of mGlu7 receptors in key processes involved in fear memory. The DiSARM FEAR project aims to generate novel mGlu7 NAMs ready to enter IND enabling studies within 3 years.

Naason Science’s CSO Jonathan Friedman said of the project, “Naason’s inclusion within the consortium confirms the expertise and acumen we have been building in the area of modelling neurological and psychiatric disorders over the last few years. We are delighted to be able to collaborate with Addex and the other consortium members to quickly and effectively complete the preclinical work and facilitate the IND enabled studies in an area where there is a significant global unmet clinical need”.

“This important research not only advances a potential new avenue in PTSD but could provide insight to other neurological disorders,” said Tim Dyer, CEO of Addex. “This project is another example of our strategy to leverage non-dilutive funding and a collaborative approach to maximize the value of our unique allosteric modulation discovery platform technology, potentially leading to multiple new products for our pipeline.” 

About Naason Science: Naason Science is a global leader in contract and collaborative research aimed at preclinical drug development in a variety of therapeutic areas. Naason´s various preclinical modelling platforms are customized to suit the needs of drug developers. The platforms can accommodate all drug delivery routes as well as preclinical proof-of-concept for medical devices. From in vitro systems to large and small animal in vivo models Naason Science provides a toolbox of state-of-the-art technologies that allow for rapid and effective testing of preclinical drug candidates. ​​

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