Vanderbilt Strikes Precision Medicine Partnership to Fight Brain Diseases

Vanderbilt University has entered into a research collaboration with Neumora Therapeutics, a clinical-stage biotechnology company specializing in brain disease medicine.

The collaboration focuses on Neumora working with Vanderbilt’s Warren Center for Neuroscience Drug Discovery (WCNDD) to study how the novel M4 muscarinic receptor positive allosteric modulator (PAM) can further treat diseases such as schizophrenia.

The M4 receptor within the brain controls the neurotransmission of dopamine, which is a neurohormone that causes schizophrenia when overactive. The PAM includes two new compounds, boosting activity and binding to a receptor.

Following the discovery of this PAM, members of both organizations entered late preclinical development stages. Preclinical studies have shown that the PAM and associated compounds have produced successful outcomes without any tension alongside the brain’s M4 receptor.

“Targeting the muscarinic receptor system is a clinically validated approach to treating schizophrenia, and we believe the M4 receptor positive allosteric modulator program discovered by WCNDD has best-in-class potential to address the tremendous unmet need for this disorder,” said Paul L. Berns, co-founder, chairman, and CEO of Neumora, in the news release.

The research collaboration will support ongoing preclinical work at the Warren Center to advance backup series of these highly selective M4 receptor PAMs as Neumora moves the lead series toward the nomination of a development candidate.

“We believe Neumora is the optimal collaborator given the world-class team and unique capabilities that Neumora has built integrating data science and neuroscience drug development capabilities,” said Craig Lindsley, a Vanderbilt University professor of pharmacology, biochemistry, and chemistry, in the news release.

Previously, Vanderbilt’s Warren Center for Neuroscience Drug Discovery worked with Boehringer Ingelheim, a pharmaceutical company. Vanderbilt’s goal in that collaboration was like their work with Neumora, aspiring to produce new care protocols and medication for neuropsychiatric conditions.

Vanderbilt joins other organizations looking to advance care for neurological illnesses through precision medicine. Last month, Cleveland Clinic launched a study to gather data from up to 200,000 individuals over 20 years to detect brain disease biomarkers and targets to prevent and cure neurological disorders.

As the demand for precision medicine rises, companies like Neumora are engaging in partnerships to enhance their offerings.

Neumora collaborated with another biotechnology company called Amgen last October. Per the partnership, Neumora, known for its precision neuroscience platform, gained access to Amgen’s deCODE human genetics capabilities to produce brain disease medication.

"This partnership with Amgen underscores the vast potential of precision drug development for brain diseases; insights generated by deCODE will further enhance Neumora's data-driven precision medicine approach," said Neumora CEO Berns, according to a news release.