Why do most CNS drugs fail during trials?
Newer tools that can inform about CNS drug target engagement and pharmacodynamic activity can provide crucial information on the likelihood of success of a novel CNS treatment at a much earlier stage in the drug development process
What we do
NeuroValida allows for a shortcut to the traditional neuroscience drug development pathway by providing critical insights on drug targets at the preclinical stages of drug development compared with traditional animal models. NeuroValida helps in validation and confirmation of CNS drug targets therefore effectively predicting drug efficacy much earlier in the drug development process. NeuroValida expedites identification of a number of key parameters that are otherwise unknown until phase 2a of a clinical trial, therefore effectively saving approx USD 500m on a failed drug.
The Brain Bank and the Biobank
The Centre for Brain Research at the University of Auckland hosts the Neurological Foundation of New Zealand Human Brain Bank and the Hugh Green Biobank. The human brain bank was established in 1993 with an aim to advance the development of treatments for neurodegenerative diseases and contains unique categories of well characterised brain tissues, including regions of the brain that are affected early in the development of neurodegenerative diseases (e.g., olfactory bulbs, vagus nerve, etc.). Each brain is dissected using specific protocols to ensure that precise structures and regions of the brain can be studied, and the tissue is either stored after fixing in formalin or as fresh tissue. The available brain tissues are neuropathologically diagnosed with documented clinical histories and provide a unique ability to interrogate patterns across highly characterised olfactory tissues where pathology develops first, and across primary cells for following up on key findings, multiple data layers, and family histories. Established in 2011, the Hugh Green Biobank aims to identify new treatments for brain disorders and brain cancers, and is one of the world’s leading facilities for isolating, growing, and studying normal and diseased adult human brain cells from consenting brain tissue donors.
The University of Auckland
NeuroValida is based at the University of Auckland, New Zealand, which has a strong international reputation with a world ranking of 68 by the Times Higher Education - QS World University Rankings. The research teams at the Centre for Brain Research, University of Auckland have over 30 years’ experience of working with human brain tissues and cells and are accustomed to dealing with large omics datasets specifically derived from human brain tissue. Our research teams have been responsible for the discovery of key neurological pathways and pathological markers, and we have over 50 years’ experience in bringing drugs to market e.g., trofinetide, the first drug approved for Rett syndrome by the USFDA.