Acadia, Karolinska Institute Collaborate on Drug-Target Gene Analysis
The collaboration will compare two patient populations: 1) a group of patients that responds to the traditional antipsychotic haloperidol, and 2) a group that does not respond to traditional agents, but does respond to clozapine, the prototype atypical antipsychotic. A variety of gene products relevant to treatment of schizophrenia and the occurrence of common side effects associated with antipsychotics will be isolated from individual patient samples.
Using Acadia's proprietary R-SAT platform, the genes will then be functionally characterized for their responsiveness to haloperidol, clozapine, and the endogenous neurotransmitters. The Karolinska Institute has amassed significant clinical data related to drug efficacy and occurrence of side effects in these patients. The combination of clinical data and functional genomic data will provide insight into the molecular mechanisms of therapeutic efficacy and the cause of side effects.
The Karolinska Institute is the largest medical school in Scandinavia, and its scientists account for approximately 45% of the university-based medical research in Sweden. The institute has earned an international reputation for its frontline research in numerous fields of medical science, including neuroscience, cancer research, cardiovascular disease, as well as public health and epidemiology.
Acadia PharmacoGenomics is a wholly owned subsidiary of Acadia Pharmaceuticals Inc., providing pharmacogenomic services to the pharmaceutical industry for improved drug development and clinical trials. The company offers a variety of services to better understand the links between gene function, drug action, and disease, including the functional profiling of molecular targets from individual patients and the preclinical assessment of potential toxic side effects of development compounds.
For more information: Mark R. Brann, President and Chief Scientific Officer, Acadia Pharmaceuticals Inc., 3911 Sorrento Valley Blvd., San Diego, CA 92121. Tel: 619-558-2871. Fax: 619-558-2872.