3Z: Zebrafish mutant model reveals novel drug candidates for ADHD

REYKJAVIK, Iceland, Nov. 22, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- ADHD is a highly prevalent neurodevelopmental disorder. The first-line therapeutic for ADHD, methylphenidate, is beneficial for only a subset of patients and can cause side effects including weight loss, insomnia and hypertension. Therefore, the development of non-stimulant based therapeutics is of high importance. In a study published in the journal Neuropsychopharmacology, 3Z scientists and collaborators used a uniquely powerful genetic model and unbiased drug screen to identify novel ADHD non-stimulant therapeutics. First, it was shown that when the human ADHD risk gene Latrophilin 3 was knocked-out in zebrafish, they showed a robust hyperactive behavior, consistent with ADHD. Second, it was shown that this hyperactivity can be rescued with common on-the-market ADHD therapeutics. Finally, following a large chemical screen, five novel potential therapeutics were identified. The candidates have already entered further tests. In summary, 3Z introduced a genetic model of ADHD in zebrafish and identified five novel putative therapeutics. The findings offer a novel tool for understanding ADHD, suggest a novel mechanism for its etiology and identify novel candidate therapeutics. 

The study can be read here: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41386-022-01505-z

3Z´s CEO Karl Karlsson has a PhD in behavioral neuroscience and is a professor in Biomedical Engineering at Reykjavik University. Karl was extensively involved in sleep research before merging the neuroscientific and engineering skillsets to high-throughput in vivo drug screening.

Discussing the significance of the findings Karl stated:

"We are extremely pleased to publish these latest data. For us it represents a stepping stone towards developing much needed therapeutics for the market, and an important validation of our screening platform - that can be used for multiple neuropsychiatric disorders"

To find out more, please visit www.3z.is or follow on Linkedin.

CONTACT:

Karl Ægir Karlsson
karlsson@3z.is 
+3548256467