Value Proposition
· Deliver glutamine antagonists to the CNS without GI and systemic toxicity assiated with free DON.
· High specificity for activated microglia and tumor-associated macrophages, providing therapeutic precision across neuroinflammatory and oncologic indications.
· Broad applicability across CNS, cancer, and immune disorders, positioning it as a platform with significant licensing and commercial potential.
Unmet Need
Many central nervous system disorders are caused by the dysregulation of glutamine-dependent pathways and/or glutamate transmission. These include, but are not limited to, brain cancer, depression, cognitive deficit, ischemia, neuroinflamation, Alzheimer’s disease, multiple sclerosis, tuberculosis, as well as viral infection. Treatment for these disorders requires drug delivery systems that are capable of crossing the blood brain barrier (BBB) in order to target the glutaminergic system. Despite the high prevalence and societal burden of these disorders, progress in the development of these types of drugs has been slow. Around 98% of FDA approved small molecule drugs do not cross the BBB, and 100% of biologic drugs do not cross the BBB (Pardridge et al., 2020). Therefore, there is a great need for compounds capable of crossing the BBB that target the glutamine pathway with broad therapeutic utility in neurological and neuropsychiatric disorders.
Technology Overview
Johns Hopkins University researchers have synthesized novel conjugated glutamine antagonists for targeted brain delivery. The novel conjugates have been demonstrated to block glutamate release from activated microglia, normalize glutamate production in the brain, and provide broad therapeutic utility in neurological and neuropsychiatric disorders. The synthesized conjugates also show robust anti-cancer efficiency, including brain cancers. The antagonists have been modified to enhance delivery to the brain while minimizing peripheral exposure and systemic toxicity.
Stage of Development: Experimental data is available
Publications: US20240398962
