SynapCell will participate to the 14th EILAT Conference on New Antiepileptic Drugs and Devices in Madrid May 13-16.
This will be the occasion for us to announce the renewal of SynapCell woldwide-exclusive licence on the GAERS rat model, which confirms our strong will to continue supporting your antiepileptic programs for generalized epilepsy and even further with our Derisking program to unveil any potential side effect or seizure-aggravating effect with your compound.
Read the Abstract below:
Drug discovery programs for the development of new antiepileptic drugs using the MTLE mouse and the GAERS models
Mesio temporal lobe epilepsy (MTLE) is one of the most prominent forms of focal drug resistant epilepsy. A better understanding of mechanisms underlying this resistance would help to identify new active compounds. The MTLE Mouse model is a chemically induced model of mesial temporal lobe epilepsy. A unique intrahippocampal injection of kainate induces a status epilepticus followed by a period of epileptogenesis of two to three weeks. Thereafter epileptic mice display non convulsive focal spontaneous recurrent hippocampal discharges, with rare generalisations (2-3 per week).
Epilepsy absence is a generalised epilepsy involving the thalamo-cortical loop and is characterised by the occurrence of Spike and Wave Discharges. The GAERS model is recognised as a true translational model for epilepsy absence as the pharmacology in the model is parallel to the one observed in human patients.
SynapCell has developed translational AED Discovery programs that has assessed more than 500 drug candidates in the last 13 years. A first step to validate the first application on the market for drug resistant focal epilepsies is proposed with the MTLE mouse model. The second step consists in the evaluation of AED candidates for their therapeutic or aggravating effects on epilepsy absence with the GAERS model.
A screening protocol was developed with the MTLE mouse model and is used to test a library of 6 compounds over 3 weeks in order to identify the most promising drugs based on their effect on hippocampal paroxysmal discharges. This elementary unit can be thereafter multiplied to enhance the screening capacity.
Then, several protocols allow the in depth study of the pharmacodynamic properties of lead compounds : the dose-response, the long term anti-epileptic effect and even the anti-epileptogenic effect of an AED candidate can be evaluated through dedicated protocols with this versatile model.
Finally, AED candidates are tested on the GAERS model to validate and de-risk the therapeutic potential in generalised epilepsy.
SynapCell offers with the MTLE mouse and the GAERS models powerful tools for preclinical evaluation and predictive clinical validation of new AEDs, using clinical like protocols and customized solutions.
Looking forward to meeting you in Madrid!
The SynapCell team.