NU 2009-186 

Inventors

Geoffrey Swanson* 

Martin Gill 

Ryuichi Sakai 

Masato Oikawa 

Short Description

Novel class of compounds that selectively targets AMPA receptors in the brain for treatment of epilepsy and pain 

Abstract

Northwestern scientists have discovered that a new class of compounds, named IKM, binds to AMPA receptors in the brain. This property will allow IKM compounds to be used for treatment of disorders caused by central nervous system hyper-stimulation, like pain syndromes, epilepsy and stroke. One important feature of these molecules is that they are subunit specific, so they only bind to a portion of all available receptors. Therefore, the likelihood of detrimental side effects is lower than with less specific drugs. Further, IKM molecules are simple to synthesize and modify chemically, which establishes them as a viable drug candidate for treatment of several central nervous system disorders. 

Applications

• Treatment of neurological disorders (pain, epilepsy etc.)
• Research tools
• Rational drug design

Advantages

• Decreased chance of side effects
• Increased specificity
• Easy to synthesize and modify

Publications

Gill M, Frausto S, Ikoma M, Sasaki M, Oikawa M, Sakai R, Swanson G (2010)  A Series of Structurally Novel Heterocyclic alpha-amino-3-hydroxyl-5-methyl-4-isoxazole-propionate Receptor-Selective Antagonist.  British Journal of Pharmacology. 160: 1417-1429. 

IP Status

Issued US patent 8,895,579