FAU Brain Institute to Drive Neuroscience Research
#BrainProgram
FAU Brain Institute to Drive Neuroscience Research
#BrainProgram
Research Terms
Globally, substance abuse and addiction are responsible for more than 11 million deaths every year. These disorders account for more than $200 billion in lost wages, healthcare, criminal and legal costs. Alcohol is the most commonly abused drug, followed by prescription drugs, cocaine, and heroin. Several FDA-approved drugs are available, but lack efficacy and often associated with severe side effects.
This technology comprises a mouse model and drug target for the treatment of substance abuse. Metallo-Beta-Lactamase Domain Containing 1 (MBLAC1) is a protein known to be involved in several neurodegenerative disorders, including substance abuse. The inventors genetically removed MBLAC1 in mice and showed animals were at increased risk for addition via experiments with cocaine compared to normal mice. These observations provide a new mouse model for research and the possibility for targeting MBLAC1 via new drug development for the treatment of neurological disorders.
FAU is seeking partners to advance this technology into the marketplace through licensing or development partnerships.
Copper is an essential cofactor of proteins and enzymes involved in fundamental mechanisms like mitochondrial function, oxygen transportation, hematopoiesis, cellular metabolism and signal transduction. However, dysregulation of copper homeostasis is implicated in several neurodegenerative diseases, meaning drugs targeting copper availability could benefit millions of people.
Researchers at Florida Atlantic University have developed novel methods for modulating MBLAC1 (Metallo-Beta-Lactamase Domain Containing1) and its orthologs to treat copper-associated neurological conditions. MBLAC1 is a protein involved in histone mRNA processing that has been identified as a risk factor for Alzheimer's disease. Through several laboratory experiments, the researchers have shown that blocking MBLAC1 in an animal model influences both neurodegeneration and copper homeostasis.
FAU seeks to advance this technology into the marketplace through licensing or development partnerships.
Master Copper Regulator Discovery May Offer Alzheimer's Clues
More than one billion people worldwide suffer from a neurological disorder. Cholinergic circuits have been implicated in abnormal motor, cognitive and autonomic functioning and are involved in cognitive impairments observed in these disorders. Choline transport via the neuronal high-affinity choline transporter (CHT) is rate-limiting for acetylcholine (ACh) synthesis and release by cholinergic terminals. A coding substitution in the CHT gene (SLC5A7) Ile89Val leads to loss of function of CHT in transfected cells. In humans, the variant is associated with distractibility and increases risk for ADHD, depression and other cholinergic disorders.
Researchers at Florida Atlantic University have used CRISPR/Cas9 techniques to generate a mouse model expressing the human Ile89Val substitution to study and treat cholinergic disorders. Val89 mice exhibit up to an 80% reduction in choline clearance and experience deficits in attentional control when challenged with a visual distractor.
FAU seeks partners to advance this technology into the marketplace through licensing or development partnerships.
