Developing a multidynamic approach to halt and treat neurodegenerative diseases
Neurodegenerative diseases are complex conditions, involving multiple genes and cellular pathways. They are characterised by the loss of neurons of different types (depending upon the disease) through cell apoptosis or autophagy, and the induction of destructive brain inflammation mediated by the activation of glia. In parallel, the degenerating neural tissues lose their capacity to generate fresh neurons and replace the damaged ones with activation of neural stem cells and de novo neurogenesis. Most attempts to develop therapeutics of neurodegenerative diseases target one of these deleterious conditions while the others continue their neuro-damaging actions.
Our therapeutic approach is to simultaneously target all these three phenomena (apoptosis of neurons, neuro-inflammation and neurogenesis) developing non-toxic, brain permeable, multifaceted small molecules with anti-apoptotic-neuroprotective, anti-neuroinflamnatory and neurogenic properties in one molecule.