Summary:

The National Institute on Aging (NIA) seeks research co-development partners and/or licensees for the pre-clinical and clinical development of the compounds as anti-inflammatory therapeutics for systemic and neurodegenerative disorders.

Description of Technology:

Numerous systemic, as well as neurological disorders, have a hallmark inflammatory element that can drive disease progression. However, the use of currently available anti-inflammatory agents have failed to demonstrate efficacy as potential treatment for systemic and neurological disorders in clinical trials.

The immunomodulatory imide drug (IMiD) thalidomide exerts anti-inflammatory effects through inhibition of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), which is a master regulator of the inflammatory response.  Researchers at the National Institute on Aging (NIA) have synthesized novel thalidomide analogs possessing potent anti-inflammatory actions but, importantly, hinder the cerebon binding that associated with the adverse teratogenic actions of classic IMiDs. This invention has potential to be developed as therapeutics for a variety of systemic and neurological disorders including inflammatory disorders, autoimmune disorders, viral infections, traumatic brain injury, neurodegenerative diseases and cancer.

Potential Commercial Applications:

Therapeutics for:

• neurodegenerative diseases
• inflammatory disorders
• autoimmune disorders
• viral infections
• cancer

Competitive Advantages over Clinically Available IMiDs:

• More potent anti-inflammatory properties
• Potentially clinically safer than classic IMiDs by lower risk of fetal malformations
• Potential to treat a wide range of significant unmet medical needs