Petrine Wellendorph

Next-gen GABA remedy for insomnia

Applicant

Petrine Wellendorph

Project drescription

Insomnia is a major health issue and socioeconomic burden affecting more than 10% of the adult population. Current drugs for insomnia potentiate GABA-A receptors in the brain but have several side effects. Whereas they are excellent at promoting sleep, they can give rise to poor sleep quality, tolerance development and addiction. Hence, better sleep drugs with less side effects are needed. We have made several compounds that are selective potentiators of so-called extrasynaptic GABA-A receptors, and therefore distinct from current GABA sleep drugs. Our novel, patented compounds are able to enter into the mouse brain but have not yet been tested for their ability to promote sleep. With the SPARK Denmark programme we want to provide proof-of-concept for the sleep-promoting effects of the compounds, and understand the mechanism-of-action in further detail, so as to make the best possible business strategy.

Institution

University of Copenhagen