September 2, 2013
Discovery of Novel Antipsychotics through Quantum Similarity
The project is supported by a Phase I SBIR grant award from the National Institute of Mental Health (1R43MH101892-01).
The experimental work will be subcontracted to the laboratory of Dr. Andrea Giuffrida, at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio.
Project Narrative:
Schizophrenia is a complex psychiatric disorder with a heterogeneous clinical phenotype. It is one of the most costly psychiatric illnesses, not only in terms of direct cost but also as a result of its long-term impact and loss of productivity, requirig intensive medical psychiatric care as well as the indefinite need for social and economic support. Here, we propose to apply a quantum-similarity approach to discover novel modulators (inhibitors) of fatty acid amide hydrolase (FAAH) and monoacylglycerol lipase (MAGL), aiming to elevate endocannabinoid tone to relieve the negative symptoms of schizophrenia.