Discovery that a dual-action screen (genomic/non-genomic) identifies retinoic acid receptor ligands of highest neurotrophic potency

近年来，随着人口老龄化和预期寿命的延长，英国患有加速大脑退化的疾病的人数急剧增加；然而，严重缺乏有效的药物来治疗这些疾病，包括阿尔茨海默氏症和帕金森氏症。维甲酸受体是这些疾病的有希望的保护靶点；当受体与一种名为维甲酸的小脂质结合时，这种神经保护作用就会激活。我们已经发现了一种设计和识别维甲酸的新方法，这种方法以最大限度地发挥其保护作用的方式打开受体。我们将开发新的维甲酸类化合物，以治疗与阿尔茨海默氏症相关的破坏性变化。我们将成立一家公司，进一步开发和评估这些化合物，直到它们可以被许可用于制药并进入临床试验，用于治疗阿尔茨海默氏症和其他神经退行性疾病。

The number of people in the UK suffering from diseases that accelerate the deterioration of the brain has shown a dramatic increase in recent years, with our ageing population and increasing life expectancy; however, there is a desperate lack of effective drugs to treat these diseases, which include Alzheimer's and Parkinson's. The retinoic acid receptor is a promising protective target for these diseases; this neuroprotective action is activated when the receptor binds a small lipid called a retinoid. We have discovered a new means for designing and identifying retinoids that switch on the receptor in a way that best maximises its protective action. We will develop new retinoids for their capacity to treat the damaging changes associated with Alzheimer's. We will form a company which will further develop and evaluate these compounds, to the stage that they can be licensed to pharma and taken into clinical trials, for the treatment of Alzheimer's and other neurodegenerative diseases.