Presented by
Shigeki Moriguchi
Nominated by
Tohoku University
Brain Innovation is developing a novel drug to treat Alzheimer’s disease. Seeking to improve the behavioural and psychological symptoms of dementia, the drug tackles the disease in a different way than the conventional approved medication available on the market. Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder characterised by cognitive deficits and memory loss. In addition, the expression of behavioural and psychological symptoms of dementia, such as depression, aggression, psychosis, is observed in the later stages of AD. It is well known that AD is associated with both down-regulation of the cholinergic system and aggregation of amyloid-β (Aβ) in the brain. Currently, only symptomatic therapies are approved: three anticholinesterase inhibitors and one N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor (NMDAR) inhibitor. One recent development is a novel therapy using Aβ-aggregation inhibitors, but success has been limited. Brain Innovation reports a novel target of the drug memantine (Memari), ATP-sensitive potassium (KATP) channels, which is potentially relevant to memory improvement. Studies have shown that modulation of KAPT channel activity is a novel target for therapeutics to improve memory impairment and the behavioural and psychological symptoms of dementia.