A potential new drug for Alzheimer’s disease and schizophrenia developed by Vanderbilt University scientists was administered July 29 to the first volunteer enrolled in a first-in-human phase 1 clinical trial at the Vanderbilt Institute for Clinical and Translational Research.
Animal studies suggest that the compound, a small molecule called VU319, may have potential for reducing memory impairments in brain disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease and schizophrenia.
The randomized, double-blind and placebo-controlled study will be conducted in about 50 healthy adult volunteers over the next 12 months to determine the compound’s safety, tolerability and bioavailability when taken orally with or without food.
VU319 was developed by a team of scientists at the Vanderbilt Center for Neuroscience Drug Discovery led by center director P. Jeffrey Conn and Craig W. Lindsley, VCNDD co-director and director of Medicinal Chemistry.
“This new small-molecule approach to potentially treating Alzheimer’s disease represents an exciting advance from currently available therapies,” said Paul Newhouse, director of the Center for Cognitive Medicine at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, who designed and is leading the study.
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