Metal‐Binding Pharmacophore Library Yields the Discovery of a Glyoxalase 1 Inhibitor for Potential Treatment of Depression and Related Psychiatric Illnesses.

Anxiety and depression are the two most common psychiatric disorders in the U.S. and affect approximately one-in-five adults at some point in their lifetime. Depression is the leading cause of worldwide disability; anxiety disorders are highly comorbid with depression. Presently, there are several drugs approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of both anxiety and depression; however, these drugs have several important limitations. Antidepressant drugs are not effective in all patients, take weeks to produce therapeutic effects, and produce side effects that limit their use. Anxiolytic drugs produce sedating side effects and have significant abuse liability. Therefore, there is an urgent need for better therapeutic agents. Recent studies using both genetic and pharmacological techniques have implicated GLO1 in numerous behaviors, including several that are relevant to depression and anxiety. University of California, San Diego Office of Innovation and Commercialization licensing@ucsd.edu 858.534.5815