Nucro-Technics is very pleased to announce that it has been approved by the Eurostars program as part of a consortium led by Addex Therapeutics. The project, named DiSARM FEAR, is for the development of a novel allosteric modulator to treat post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). This venture involves an international group of companies that span the globe from Switzerland (Addex Therapeutics), Canada (Nucro-Technics), South Korea (Naason Science), Germany (Endotherm), and the Netherlands (Radboud University).
From a technical aspect Nucro-Technics’ role in the project involves expanding and optimizing a chemical series of novel allosteric modulators from Addex Therapeutics’ small molecule library that were pre-validated in a hit-to-lead series. Nucro-Technics’ specific role will be to perform:
- First tier selectivity assays as part of a lead optimization screen (Solubility and LogD7.4);
- ADME profiling on hundreds of compounds;
- Hepatocyte stability;
- Caco-2 Permeability;
- Plasma Protein Binding;
- A proprietary in vitro Hepatotoxicity Assessment in 3D Bio-printed in vitro liver models;
- Cytochrome P450 (CYP) Induction;
- Cytochrome P450 (CYP) Inhibition;
- In vivo Pharmacokinetics; and
- In vivo Pharmacology.
The overall outcome of this project will be to select a candidate drug from the optimization process that will be ready for the completion of a series of pre-IND studies.
This is the second Eurostars project that Nucro-Technics has been a part of. The initial project, regarding the development of a non-invasive treatment to protect visual function in early-stage diabetic retinopathy patients, made Nucro-Technics the first Canadian company approved for this prestigious program. The challenges that were faced have led to significant expertise in the bioanalytical analysis of ocular tissues. These have allowed Nucro-Technics to leverage this expertise in other IND-enabling studies for similar clinical indications.
What is the Eurostars Program?
Eurostars is a joint programme supporting Research & Development performed by small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs). It is co-funded from the national budgets of more than 40 Eurostars countries and by the European Union through Horizon 2020. Participating countries earmark funds for their participants following national funding rules and procedures.
For Canadian companies, Eurostars projects are supported through the incredible support of the National Resource Council as part of the Industrial Research Assistance Program (IRAP).
About Nucro-Technics
Nucro-Technics is a full-service Contract Support Organization that has completed projects for the ten largest pharmaceutical companies worldwide. Nucro-Technics’ specializes in:
- Pre-Clinical Toxicology
- Genetic Toxicology
- Bioanalytical Services
- Analytical Chemistry
- Microbiology Testing and
- Quality Control/Quality Assurance & Regulatory Affairs consulting to the biotech, pharmaceutical and medical device industries.
If you are a company at the non-clinical stage looking to submit an IND application to the FDA or to other regulatory agencies, Nucro-Technics can help you. Nucro-Technics has been operating since 1970 and has been testing novel molecules and products for the pharmaceutical, biotech, and medical device industries from the very beginning. We offer a full array of services that cover testing from the benchtop through efficacy, in vitro genetic toxicology, in vivo pharmacokinetic and safety, through to clinical trials and beyond.
