Register for free to join our community of investors and share your ideas. You will also get access to streaming quotes, interactive charts, trades, portfolio, live options flow and more tools.
Register for free to join our community of investors and share your ideas. You will also get access to streaming quotes, interactive charts, trades, portfolio, live options flow and more tools.
Rewalk on Fox Business Network: Varney and Co.
http://video.foxbusiness.com/v/6045752746001/
Samsung BioLogics Enters New Era with "First-of-its-kind" Client-Centric CMO Deal
https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/samsung-biologics-enters-new-era-with-first-of-its-kind-client-centric-cmo-deal-300862190.html
Mutation that protects against HIV raises death rate
https://apnews.com/c5169d4a9abb406db36ff9470822a651
Oncology Experts Select Top Abstracts Ahead of 2019 ASCO Annual Meeting
https://www.targetedonc.com/news/oncology-experts-select-top-abstracts-ahead-of-2019-asco-annual-meeting
Society for Neuro-Oncology scientific meeting (Nov 15-18)
4 posters
https://www.soc-neuro-onc.org/UploadedFiles/POSTER%20PRESENTATIONS.pdf
A Phase I Trial of Vaccination with Autologous Dendritic Cells Pulsed with Lysate Derived from an Allogeneic Glioblastoma Stem-like Cell Line for Patients with Newly Diagnosed or Recurrent Glioblastoma
Safety and Efficacy of Autologous Dendritic Cells/tumor Cell Antigen Adjuvant Therapy of Glioblastoma Multiforme: Results of 59 Cases
A Combinatory Immunotherapy Against Brain Tumour: Blood Dendritic Cell Based Vaccine Therapy with Checkpoint Inhibitor(s)
Antigen-specific Effector Memory CD4+ T Cells and CCL3 Potentiate Dendritic Cell Vaccines and Antitumor Immunity
Cedars-Sinai, Northwestern University, MD Anderson, and Duke University
https://mdanderson.elsevierpure.com/en/persons/wen-kuang-yang
https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Julius_Kim/amp
http://bio.csmc.edu/view/3636/Jethro-L-Hu.aspx
https://medicine.duke.edu/education-and-training/our-trainees/kristen-batich
BMS Study Status CHANGED:
Study Start: September 1, 2018 TO January 1, 2019
Primary Completion: October 2019 TO January 1, 2020 [Anticipated]
Study Completion: October 2020 TO January 1, 2022 [Anticipated]
https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03014804
??
‘DCVax® has extended survival of MANY of our glioblastoma patients for more than a year, and some are thriving more than 10 years after their initial diagnosis.’
https://www.uclahealth.org/braintumor/biologics
The suspension may be occurring for a number of reasons:
1. Inability to put package together in time for the deadline
2. Company buy out/merger occurring that may set alternative course for submission
3. Study failed to meet primary/secondary endpoints — so why bother
4. Management forgot and needs to reschedule
5. The dog ate the submission paperwork
6. A stomach bug is affecting employees at headquarters
7. Any combination of the above
NICE: it’s a posting on the site (not an email)
https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/indevelopment/gid-ta10143
New study clinicaltrials.gov. DCVAX-Direct
https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03638765
Dendritic Cell Therapy for Brain Metastases From Breast- or Lung Cancer
Posted August 20, 2018
Convertibility
In a buyout, the purchaser is buying all of the common shares of stock for a price it believes to be the fair value of the company as a whole. In order to have a proper valuation of each share, it is important for the buyer to know that all of the common shares are accounted for. Many preferred shares carry convertibility options, where they can trigger a conversion from preferred into common stock. This conversion would dilute the pool of common stock and throw off the valuation of the shares in the buyout. As a result, it would generally be advisable either to value the company as if these shares were converted, or to force their conversion before the buyout.
Thank you gfp, neuro, all. I appreciate the update. I will go back into my cortex induced coma for now.
Much appreciated and, of course, best of luck!
Update please.
Hello. I've been ou of touch recently with this POS stock. I own tens of thousands of shares and, needless to say, I am in the red.
Can anyone provide me with a quick update to where the company is with regard to its molecules. Have they moved to continue development of their high impacts?
Here is a guess... they are moving a molecule into phase II soon but after toxicology results conducted in 12 monkeys are analyzed. Sheeeesh.
Thanks
Pension protests reach fever pitch in France
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/39721067#39721067
Ecuador in Chaos as President Taunts: "Kill Me!"
State of Siege Declared After Angry Police Protesting Benefits Cuts Launch Chaotic Insurrection
Hundreds of police angry over a law to cut their benefits plunged this small South American nation into chaos Thursday, roughing up and tear-gassing the president, shutting down airports and blocking highways in a nationwide strike.
Incensed officers shoved President Rafael Correa around, pelted him with water and doused him in tear gas when he tried to speak at a police barracks in the capital. Hours later, surrounded by rebel cops in a hospital, Correa declared himself "practically captive."
Correa, 47, was hospitalized after being nearly asphyxiated by the tear gas.
The government declared a state of siege, putting the military in charge of public order, suspending civil liberties and allowing soldiers to carry out searches without a warrant.
The insurgent police took over police barracks in Quito, Guayaquil and other cities. Some set up roadblocks of burning tires, cutting off highway access to the capital.
Schools shut down in Quito and many businesses closed early due to the absence of police protection that left citizens and businesses vulnerable to crime.
Looting was reported in the capital - where at least two banks were sacked - and in the coastal city of Guayaquil. That city's main newspaper, El Universo, reported attacks on supermarkets and robberies due to the absence of police.
Hundreds of Correa supporters gathered outside the National Assembly, which was occupied by striking police, while Interior Minister Gustavo Jahlk met with representatives of the rebellious police.
The commander of Ecuador's armed forces, Gen. Ernesto Gonzalez, declared the military's loyalty to Correa at a news conference. He called for "a re-establishment of dialogue, which is the only way Ecuadoreans can resolve our differences."
But he also called for the law that provoked the unrest to be "reviewed or not placed into effect so that public servants, soldiers and police don't see their rights affected."
The law needs to be published before it takes effect and that has not happened.
When Correa confronted the protesters earlier, he was agitated and unyielding.
"If you want to kill the president, here he is! Kill me!" he told them before limping away with the aid of a cane as an aide fitted a gas mask over his face. Correa's right knee, with which he has had recurring problems, was operated on last week.
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2010/09/30/world/main6916146.shtml
Cortex Unlocks the Key to the Way We Think
By Justin Kuepper on Monday, August 23rd, 2010
Cortex Pharmaceuticals (CORX), a biotech company focused on treating neurological and central nervous system disorders, similar to companies like Acadia Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq: ACAD), Neurocrine and Targacepthas unlocked one of the keys to controlling the human brain – ampakines.
Cortex Pharmaceuticals (OTC-BB: CORX) is a biotech company focused on treating neurological and central nervous system disorders using so-called ampakines. These unique compounds have an unusually strong and positive effect on the brain, with the hope of exhibiting fewer side-effects than any existing treatments for neurological and central nervous system disorders.
Controlling the Way We Think with Ampakines
Ampakines are synthetic compounds that have been shown, in studies conducted by the University of California Irvine, to enhance attention span and alertness, as well as to facilitate learning and memory. This is accomplished by interacting with AMPA-type glutamate receptors in the brain, which essentially mediate the fast synaptic transmission in the central nervous system – the core of the way we think.
One group of compounds, “Low-impact” ampakines can be used to significantly improve the strength of synaptic connections in the brain, while the second group, “high-impact” ampakines can also activate certain genes in the neuron, including neurotrophins – or protein growth factors that enhance the development and function of neurons, such as Brain Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF), which can strengthen synaptic connections.
Since all areas of the brain require synaptic connections to function especially the area of the brain that controls breathing when sleeping, conditions like sleep apnea can be effectively treated by simply stimulating the neurons using ampakines.
Using Ampakines to Treat Neuro and CNS Disorders
Since ampakines do not have many of the adverse side-effects associated with other stimulants like caffeine or amphetamines, the chemical compounds are being extensively studied as a treatment for a range of neurological disorders including Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease and psychiatric disorders such as schizophrenia, depression and ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder).
Cortex was originally focused on developing its CX717 drug, which is in Phase II clinical trials with the US FDA for the treatment of respiratory depression. However, the company sold the rights to the drug to Biovail Corporation (NYSE: BVF) for an up-front payment of $10 million and milestone payments that could total up to $15 million, in order to raise funds to support their other extensive research.
For example, the company is now keenly focused on its CX1739 compound for the treatment of sleep apnea and ADHD. During Phase I trials, the drug was well-tolerated with no adverse side-effects, and Phase II studies are now being run in patients with sleep apnea, and are being designed to test efficacy in adults with ADHD. Prior data from its CX717 drug suggest that CX1739’s efficacy in ADHD will be robust.
Cortex Gears Up to Unleash Shareholder Value
The market for Cortex’s ampakine drugs is enormous and growing, both domestically and internationally. According to company estimates, ADHD affects some 17 million adults with about $5.2 billion per year spent on treatments; Alzheimer’s disease affects seven million adults with about $6 billion per year spent on treatments; Schizophrenia affects some seven million adults with $3 billion in market potential, and sleep apnea affects some 18 million adults with $3-9 billion in potential.
The company is now well-positioned to deliver exceptional value to shareholders with potential licensing milestones from Biovail and potential future developments in CX1739, and other compounds and indications still under its control. Potential licensing of these compounds could produce additional revenues that may include ongoing royalties and milestones in addition to an up-front payment – all pointing towards significant value for shareholders.
http://biotechstocktrader.com/cortex-unlocks-the-key-to-the-way-we-think-028/
Pierre Tran
On August 9, 2010, Pierre Tran, M.D., submitted his resignation, effective August 10, 2010, as the Company's Chief Medical Officer and Vice President of Clinical Development. Dr. Tran resigned for personal reasons and not as a result of any disagreement with the Company on any matter relating to the Company's operations, policies or practices.
Wonderful..
Davidal. What is of utmost importance to CORTEX is the further development of at least one of their compounds. royalties or not. The company and its assets will never be seriously considered until Cortex or another entity moves forward with development. it would provide some sort of validation. after a dozen years invested in this stock...i still find myself stunned at the blind faith i still have in this company. The have not been able to move a small molecule into phase III after 20 years of research. what's wrong with this picture?
BP: More animal research??? (click)
Varney: Is anyone there? are you still there??
Here we go again...
Biovail Conf. call
Both companies are reviewing their pipelines and Mr. Wells (Biovail's chief executive, Bill Wells) said that, before the merger is completed, they'll reveal which programs will be "canceled or partnered."
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703748904575411220554267994.html
One last question...
What, if anything, does CORX gain from this? Since it is an ampakine, I assume they are entitled to some compensation?
True?
Tx-
Neuro...thanks.
Do you anything about AC Immune?
AC IMMUNE ACI-518 (AMPAkine Program)
AMPAkines are positive modulators of AMPA receptors, the non-NMDA ionotropic receptors for glutamate involved in long-term potentiation processes and short-term memory in humans. ACI-518 is a patent-protected lead molecule of the class of AMPAkines developed from the State University of Moscow. ACI-518 shows the highest reported receptor affinity and is a very innovative approach to enhance the AMPA receptor function. AC Immune has acquired an exclusive license from the State University of Moscow and uses its proven expertise in preclinical development of Alzheimer´s treatments to move the compound forward quickly towards clinical development.
http://www.acimmune.com/content/?p=42
ASTRAZENECA
Does anyone know about the three compounds that AZ has in early development called "glutamatergic modulators". They include AZD8418, AZD8529, AZD8418.
Are they ampakines?
http://www.astrazeneca.com/research/our-pipeline-summary/?expandPanel6737850=true&expandPanel6737865=true
http://www.astrazeneca-annualreports.com/2009/additional_information/index.html
Sleuthing
The Schering-Plough pipeline has been updated (Oct2009). AMPA PAM still appears with ADHD and Depression....no schizo.
http://www.schering-plough.com/binaries/Products-in-Development.pdf
Also, it appears that some information related to the ORG26576 trial in clinical trials.gov has been changed (10/1/09). Specifically, Organon has been changed to SP throughout the study description. See link.
http://clinicaltrials.gov/archive/NCT00610649/2009_10_01/changes
hmmmmmm.
Poster Presentation
AMPA and ampakines as proneurogenic modulators of progenitors derived from subventricular zone
Clarissa de-Sampaio-Schitine1*
1 Centro de Neurociencias e Biologia Celular, Universidade de Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal
Neurogenesis in the brain of adult mammals occurs throughout life, and has been demonstrated at two locations under normal conditions: the subventricular zone (SVZ) of the lateral ventricles and the subgranular zone (SGZ) of the dentate gyrus in the hippocampus.
AMPAkines are a group of chemical compounds that modulate the properties of ionotropic AMPA subtype of glutamate receptors, potentiating excitatory signals and enhancing cognitive properties. AMPAkine effects are presumably mediated through increase in synaptic efficiency of excited neuronal circuits. However, a positive effect on neurogenesis cannot be ruled out. Here, we propose to disclose the pro-neurogenic effects of an excitatory stimulation, through AMPA treatment, and AMPAkines in SVZ cell cultures derived from neonatal mice.
SVZ cells were incubated in the presence of AMPA (1 to 50μM) and AMPAkine CX546 (5 to 150μM). Both treatments triggered a concentration-dependent increase in proliferation, evaluated in 48h treated cultures through the BrdU incorporation assay. AMPA and AMPAkines stimulated neuronal differentiation as the numbers of NeuN mature neurons increased in 7 days treated cultures. Moreover AMPA and AMPAkine treatments increased the numbers of functional neurons, evaluated by single cell calcium imaging. Immunoassays for the phosphorylated form of the JNK signaling were also performed in SVZ cell cultures treated with AMPA 1μM and AMPAKine CX546 5μM for 6h. AMPA and AMPAkine treatment promoted a five and six fold increase in the number and in the total length of the ramifications per neurosphere, respectively. Knowing that JNK signaling is involved in axonogenesis, these data show that AMPA and AMPAkine CX 546 improve neuronal maturation.
Altogether, these data demonstrate that AMPA and AMPAkines CX 546 are positive modulators of neurogenesis in SVZ cell cultures and highlight the possible use of AMPAkines for future development of cell- based brain therapies.
Acknowledgments: Convenio GRICES-CAPES and Fundacao para a Ciencia e Tecnologia: PTDC-SAU-NEU- 68465-2006
Conference: 11th Meeting of the Portuguese Society for Neuroscience. Braga, Portugal, June 04 - 06, 2009.
Citation: de-Sampaio-Schitine C (2009). AMPA and ampakines as proneurogenic modulators of progenitors derived from subventricular zone. Frontiers in Neuroscience. Conference Abstract: 11th Meeting of the Portuguese Society for Neuroscience. doi: 10.3389/conf.neuro.01.2009.11.037
Copyright: © 2009 de-Sampaio-Schitine. This is an open-access publication subject to an exclusive license agreement between the authors and the Frontiers Research Foundation, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original authors and source are credited.
*Correspondence: Clarissa de-Sampaio-Schitine, Centro de Neurociências e Biologia Celular- Universidade de Coimbra, Rua Padre Américo número 1A, 3000-313, Coimbra, Portugal. schitine@biof.ufrj.br
http://frontiersin.org/conferences/individual_abstract_listing.php?conferid=214&pap=2652&ind_abs=1&pg=2
FWIW - Schering Plough Pipeline update
Recently posted...(although date indicates update occurred 4/09)
http://www.schering-plough.com/binaries/Products-in-Development.pdf
AMPA PAM*
ADHD
Depression
I assume PAM = positive allosteric modulator
I feel sick...
ADHD Trial now active, not recruiting (formerly "recruiting")
http://www.clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/results?term=26576
Allosteric Modulation
Nov. 13 (Bloomberg) -- Vincent Mutel saw so much potential in a new way of tweaking the brain's circuitry that he left a job he'd had for 15 years to bet his future on a start-up.
The ability to move fast and take a risk on a hunch in his six-year-old venture, Geneva-based Addex Pharmaceuticals Ltd., is paying off. The company has signed licensing deals with Johnson & Johnson and Merck & Co. to make schizophrenia and Parkinson's disease medicines, and Addex's first pill, a treatment for migraine and heartburn, may be introduced in 2012.
The Addex approach represents a promising way for creating medicines at a time when the pharmaceutical industry is struggling to find new products. Its potential has attracted the attention of Pfizer Inc., Novartis AG and Roche Holding AG, Mutel's former employer, which say the drug-hunting method may lead to safer, more effective therapies.
``Addex has done with a fairly small company what in many cases larger companies have failed to do,'' said Darryle Schoepp, head of neuroscience research and development at Whitehouse Station, New Jersey-based Merck. ``They've done the best job of taking the technology and turning what is a compound into what might be a drug.''
Most modern medicines work by mimicking or blocking the action of molecules in the body that help carry out chemical reactions linked to a disease. Addex's treatments differ in that they are designed to regulate or fine-tune the molecules' activity. Researchers say this softer approach may cause fewer side effects than conventional drugs.
Valium
The concept, known as allosteric modulation, isn't new. Roche introduced the tranquilizer Valium in 1963, and although scientists didn't fully realize it at the time, the pill works in a similar way to Addex's drugs. It wasn't until three decades later, when a new way of screening compounds became common, that researchers saw that many such therapies may be possible.
The first medicine to use the approach to act on a family of proteins targeted by about half of all new drugs was Amgen Inc.'s Sensipar for kidney-disease complications. The treatment won U.S. approval in 2004 and had sales of $161 million during this year's third quarter, a 32 percent gain over the same period in 2007.
``Sensipar does appear to be the validation of the concept because it's safe, has fewer side effects and represents a significant advance on whatever else is available,'' said Arthur Christopoulos, professor of pharmacology at Monash University in Australia. He has worked as a scientific adviser on the approach to Addex, as well as Pfizer, Amgen and GlaxoSmithKline.
Experimental Drugs
Still, most experimental medicines fail to make it through the three phases of clinical testing needed for marketing approval, and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration cleared just 19 new medicines in 2007, the fewest in 24 years.
Since its founding in 2002, Addex has burned through 141 million Swiss francs ($120 million) and had 143 million francs in cash and marketable securities as of June 30. The stock has lost about half of its value since its May 2007 initial public offering, and has declined about 9 percent this year. Prominent investors include London-based Glaxo, which owns about 5 percent of the Swiss company. Addex has had licensing revenue of about 40 million francs.
The shares fell 95 centimes, or 2.6 percent, to 35 francs at 10:06 a.m. in Swiss trading.
Addex's initial focus on brain disorders stemmed from Mutel's time at Basel, Switzerland-based Roche, where he searched for compounds to regulate the activity of glutamate, a chemical linked to schizophrenia and Parkinson's disease.
Cell Surfaces
Drugs work by interacting with protein molecules that sit on the surfaces of cells. Binding, or receptor, sites have a specific structure and chemicals have to fit precisely onto these spots in order to bind to a protein and turn it on or off and have an effect. Mutel and his colleagues tried to find medicines that would attach to a G-protein coupled receptor -- a type of protein active in almost every organ system in the body -- for glutamate.
The team discovered a compound that fit to the receptor's so-called allosteric site, rather than the point that most modern drugs target. This allowed the chemical to modulate the glutamate receptor's activity rather than just switching it on.
``One of the biggest difficulties in drug development is that if you completely block or activate the body's own chemical systems, it can lead to side effects,'' Mutel, 50, said in an interview. ``What we're doing is not to turn the body's own systems on or off like a normal light switch, as most drugs do, but to control the amount of light in the room like a dimmer.''
`Lab Curiosity'
The drug also kicked into action only when the body's own messengers signaled a need, more closely mirroring the peaks and troughs of the body's own systems. The receptor's allosteric site was unusual in structure, making the medicine that fit it less likely to bind to and affect other proteins.
``With a typical drug on the market, if you want to target a particular site on a protein in the brain, the drug will also target the same site on a related protein in the heart,'' Christopoulos said. ``It's like turning on all the lights in the house when you just want to turn on the light in the kitchen.''
Except for the work on Amgen's Sensipar, modulating the receptors in this way had been considered a ``lab curiosity,'' Mutel said. The discoveries at Roche and crosstown rival Novartis in 2001 ``completely changed the whole perception of the field,'' he said.
Such development now focuses mostly on diseases of the brain and central nervous system. Addex has two drugs in human studies, the most advanced of which is in the second of three stages of testing generally needed for approval.
Pfizer, Novartis
Mutel says the technology's potential goes beyond the central nervous system. The company and plans to explore rheumatoid arthritis and obesity, among other ills.
Other companies are forging ahead too. Roche has several compounds in animal and human tests for psychiatric disorders such as schizophrenia, while Novartis is seeking to use the technology to treat Parkinson's disease. Pfizer used the approach to develop its Selzentry HIV treatment and also wants to market the drug for rheumatoid arthritis. The New York-based company is also working on a hepatitis C treatment that uses the technology.
``We certainly have significant interest in this field and are looking at several approaches,'' said Will Spooren, project leader in the Roche research unit that focuses on the central nervous system. ``It's a big theme in general both in biotech as well as big pharma.''
Other characteristics of such compounds suggest additional potential uses. The molecules don't interfere with the active sites of the receptors, so they may someday be combined with conventional medicines to minimize side effects and make them more targeted, Christopoulos said. The technique may also make it possible to develop substitutes for medicines that now have to be injected. One oral compound in Addex's early-development program appears to mimic the activity of Eli Lilly & Co.'s Byetta shot for Type 2 diabetes.
``There are many fantastic drug targets for which the pharma industry hasn't been able to develop good compounds yet,'' Mutel said. ``We believe that this approach is the solution to many of those targets.''
Psychopharmacology (Berl). 2008 Nov 5. [Epub ahead of print]
Mechanisms underlying cognitive enhancement and reversal of cognitive deficits in nonhuman primates by the ampakine CX717.Hampson RE, España RA, Rogers GA, Porrino LJ, Deadwyler SA.
Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Wake Forest University Health Sciences, Medical Center Boulevard, Winston-Salem, NC, 27157-1083, USA.
RATIONALE: Performance of cognitive tasks in nonhuman primates (NHPs) requires specific brain regions to make decisions under different degrees of difficulty or "cognitive load." OBJECTIVE: Local cerebral metabolic activity ([(18)F]FDG PET imaging) in dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC), medial temporal lobe (MTL), and dorsal striatum (DStr) is examined in NHPs performing a delayed-match-to-sample (DMS) task with variable degrees of cognitive load. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Correlations between cognitive load and degree of brain metabolic activity were obtained with respect to the influence of the ampakine CX717 (Cortex Pharmaceuticals), using brain imaging and recordings of neuronal activity in NHPs and measures of intracellular calcium release in rat hippocampal slices. RESULTS: Activation of DLPFC, MTL, and DStr reflected changes in performance related to cognitive load within the DMS task and were engaged primarily on high load trials. Similar increased activation patterns and improved performance were also observed following administration of CX717. Sleep deprivation in NHPs produced impaired performance and reductions in brain activation which was reversed by CX717. One potential basis for this facilitation of cognition by CX717 was increased firing of task-specific hippocampal cells. Synaptic mechanisms affected by CX717 were examined in rat hippocampal slices which showed that N-methyl-D: -aspartic acid-mediated release of intracellular calcium was reduced in slices from sleep-deprived rats and reversed by application of CX717 to the bathing medium. CONCLUSIONS: The findings provide insight into how cognition is enhanced by CX717 in terms of brain, and underlying neural, processes that are activated on high vs. low cognitive load trials.
New molecule - CX2007?
Mentioned today in pipeline slide from R&R for AD and ADHD
New molecule - CX2007?
Mentioned today in pipeline slide from R&R for AD and ADHD
Schering-plough - products in development
ampakine for depression (Phase II)....still there
Nov. 2008
www.schering-plough.com/pdf/SGP_Product_Pipeline_November_2008.pdf
Cortex's AMPAKINE(R) Research in Opioid--induced Respiratory Depression Makes Windhover's Top 10 List of Neuroscience Projects Available for Partnering
http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/cortexs-ampakiner-research-opioid--induced-respiratory/story.aspx?guid=%7BC0272011-9288-4A91-9C86-6218A7F28ED0%7D&dist=hppr
European Respiratory Society Annual Congress (Berlin, Germany) October 4-8
Poster:
P963 Ampakine therapy to alleviate opioid and anesthetic induced respiratory depression
J. Greer, J. Ren, A. Lorier, F. Lenal, G. Funk (Edmonton, Canada)
http://dev.ersnet.org/uploads/Document/37/WEB_CHEMIN_2179_1220441213.pdf
Interesting...
International partnership to license new drug application:
The University of Alberta and spin-off company Neurochemical Modulation will partner with Cortex Pharmaceuticals (Irvine, California) to commercialize Cortex’s proprietary AMPAKINE� compounds in novel applications
http://alberta.ca/home/NewsFrame.cfm?ReleaseID=/acn/200806/237397845978B-FE30-1AE0-D539FDDF36E143D1.html
June 18, 2008
Schering-Plough update to pipeline
no mention of ADHD or schizo (only depression)
what the heck happened to farampator in schizo?
http://www.schering-plough.com/pdf/S-P_Pipeline_June_2008_Final.pdf
Glutamate mediates platelet activation through the AMPA receptor
Morrell et al.
Science Signaling 17 March 2008: 575-584
DOI: 10.1084/jem.20071474
http://stke.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/abstract/sigtrans;1/12/ec114
Glutamate at the Clot
L. Bryan Ray
Science, Science Signaling, AAAS, Washington, DC 20005, USA
Glutamate is best known as a neurotransmitter, but glutamate is also present in the blood, and various glutamate receptors are found in tissues that include pancreatic β cells and bone cells. Morrell et al. add an important new target for glutamate regulation--platelets. Platelets store glutamate and have glutamate transporters, and Morrell et al. used a real-time enzymatic assay to show that glutamate was released during aggregation of human platelets induced in vitro with thrombin. Immunoblotting showed that platelets express AMPA (-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid) receptors. Glutamate alone did not cause platelet activation, but it did enhance activation in response to thrombin receptor-activating peptide (TRAP-6), and pharmacological studies indicated that glutamate acted through AMPA receptors. The authors used studies with Na+-sensitive dye and electrophysiological experiments to determine that AMPA receptor activation increased Na+ influx and promoted depolarization of the plasma membrane. Platelets respond to many regulators, and AMPA receptor activation enhanced the response of platelets to agonists that act through heterotrimeric guanine nucleotide-binding protein (G protein)-coupled receptors. The authors also provided evidence from intravital microscopy to show that platelets from mice lacking the GluR1 subunit of the AMPA receptor had delayed thrombosis of experimentally damaged mesenteric arteries in vivo. Occlusion of arteries by thrombosis is a key mechanism in the deadly effects of cardiovascular disease and stroke. Thus, the authors suggest that AMPA receptors might provide a valuable new target for therapeutic inhibition of thrombosis.
C. N. Morrell, H. Sun, M. Ikeda, J.-C. Beique, A. M. Swaim, E. Mason, T. V. Martin, L. E. Thompson, O. Gozen, D. Ampagoomian, R. Sprengel, J. Rothstein, N. Faraday, R. Huganir, C. J. Lowenstein, Glutamate mediates platelet activation through the AMPA receptor. J. Exp. Med. 205, 575-584 (2008). [Abstract] [Full Text]
http://newswire.rockefeller.edu/?page=engine&id=734
Posted March 28, 2008
"The scientists studied the drug’s impacts on middle-aged to elderly rats and found that, when administered daily over four consecutive months, it appeared to improve memory and slow brain aging."