Subunit-selective NMDA Receptor Modulators (SNRMs)

Dysfunction in cognition underlies a wide variety of neuropsychiatric conditions.  Cognition is the ability of the brain to process and store information and then to analyze this information in the context of the present to respond and plan for the future.  Examples of cognitive dysfunction in neuropsychiatry include the inability of schizophrenics to process information fast enough respond to their environment, the inability of many suffering autism to process social cues, and the inappropriate processing of emotion that promotes depression.

The NMDA receptor is the brain’s ‘master switch’ for learning and memory and plays a fundamental role in mediating the cognitive processes of the brain.  This recommends the NMDA receptor as a target for new drugs to treat cognitive disorders.  This recommendation finds support in diverse bodies of preclinical and clinical research.

Mnemosyne is developing a new class of drugs, the Subunit-selective NMDA Receptor Modulators (SNRMs), which modulate the activity of different types of NMDA receptors to treat cognitive dysfunction. Mnemosyne’s lead programs are for schizophrenia and autism.  Mnemosyne is seeking a partnership to develop a novel treatment for depression.

 

Mnemosyne is the Greek  goddess of memory.  In this mosaic from the 3rd century B.C., the goddess aids memory by the touch of her hand.