Gabriel Sciences, a Maryland biotech company founded by David
Pickar MD, enters into a collaborative project, "Triple Re-Uptake
Inhibitors: Potential Antidepressants." Candidate compounds
synthesized by the research team of Professor Paul Carlier PhD at
Virginia Tech, and tested by the research team of Professor Elliott
Richelson MD at Mayo Clinic, show activity in preclinical tests that
are predictive of antidepressant activity in humans. The grant will
allow the selection of a lead compound to continue into preclinical
toxicology testing for initial studies in humans. These potential
antidepressant compounds have a novel mechanism of action - blockade
of transporters for the neurotransmitters norepinephrine, serotonin,
and dopamine. This novel "triple reuptake blockade" approach holds
promise for a more effective and rapidly-acting antidepressant.
"This award is an example of the promising collaborative
opportunities that can be developed between the biotech industry and
academic medicine through the NIH SBIR or STTR mechanisms. Gabriel
Sciences (Primary Awardee) brings agile drug development abilities to
pioneering science from Mayo Clinic (Subawardee)," notes David Pickar
MD, President of Gabriel Sciences and Principal Investigator for the
grant. Dr. Richelson serves as the Mayo Clinic Investigator for this
Grant.
* Small Business Innovation Research grant #1R43MH081365-01 The
content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not
necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of
Mental Health or the National Institutes of Health.
About Gabriel Sciences
Gabriel Sciences (formerly Gabriel Pharma) is a biotech company
with the mission to advance treatment and understanding of mental
illness through its translational research, including collaborative
opportunities with academic medicine. David Pickar MD, founder, is
former Chief of the Experimental Therapeutics Branch at National
Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) with current adjunct appointments as
Professor of Psychiatry at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
and Uniformed Services University of Health Sciences. Gabriel Sciences
is the recipient of NIH SBIR Phase I and Phase II grants for the
development of a clinical DNA database enabling predictors of
antipsychotic drug response. The current antidepressant program, which
is a collaborative project, adds to Gabriel Sciences´ portfolio of
drug development for the treatment of mental illness.
