Innovative diagnostic/therapeutic agents from NCSR “Demokritos” take the next step toward clinical application

NCSR “Demokritos” and researchers M. Pelecanou, M. Sagnou (Institute of Biosciences & Applications, IB-A), M. Papadopoulos, I. Pirmettis (Institute of Nuclear & Radiological Sciences and Technology, Energy & Safety, INRASTES) have filed an international patent application within the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) titled “Tricarbonyl complexes of transition metals with benzo-heterocyclic derivatives of the cyclopentadienyl anion”.  The PCT application, in which two post-doctoral researchers B. Mavroidi (IB-A) and A. Shegani (INRASTES) also participate as inventors, aims at the protection of novel compounds discovered at NCSR “Demokritos” with exquisite blood-brain barrier (BBB) penetration potential, and properties suitable for application as diagnostic and therapeutic agents against diseases of the Central Nervous System (CNS).  The patent application has already been approved in Europe (patent EP3755383 granted on 18-8-21), and is being prosecuted in the USA, China and India.

The innovative compounds freely enter the brain and their initial preclinical evaluation, carried out within the premises of NCSR “Demokritos”, has established their potential in diagnosis and therapy of devastating diseases such as Alzheimer’s Disease1 and brain cancer2.  In view of the great obstacle that limited blood-brain barrier penetration imposes on the development of CNS pharmaceuticals3 and the great economic burden that CNS disorders bear on Health care4, the prospects for exploitation of the patented compounds to address unmet medical needs are riveting.  To this end, the “Demokritos” team has entered into an agreement with PLUS Life Sciences Consulting Sàrl, a company located in Geneva, to identify investors interested in financing further development of the compounds towards clinical trials and their eventual commercialization.

1 J. Med. Chem. 2019, 62, 2638
2 Invest. New Drug 2022, 40, 497
3https://am.credit-suisse.com/ch/en/asset-management/insights/articles/equity/2022/blood-brain-barrier-the-last-frontier.html
4 https://www.reportlinker.com/p06241983/Central-Nervous-System-Drugs-Global-Market-Report.html