Indian scientists find drugs with potential to treat neurodegenerative disorders
Published on May 21, 2025
By IANS
- NEW DELHI — A team of scientists at the Institute of Advanced Study in Science
and Technology (IASST), an autonomous institute of the Department of Science
and Technology (DST), has found drugs with potential to treat neurodegenerative
disorders -- a major global health challenge.
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- In the study, published in the Journal Drug Discovery
Today, the team highlighted the potential of peptidomimetics to treat
neurodegenerative diseases, like Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, by
promoting neuronal growth and survival.
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- Peptidomimetic drugs -- or synthetic molecules that mimic
the structure of natural proteins -- can be repurposed to provide an effective
therapeutic strategy to treat neurodegenerative diseases by promoting neuronal
growth and survival.
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- While neurotrophins, proteins crucial for neuronal
survival and function, have shown promise as potential treatments, their
instability and rapid degradation have hindered their therapeutic application.
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- IASST scientists have been exploring peptidomimetics,
synthetic compounds designed to mimic neurotrophins, as a potential solution to
these limitations.
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- "Neurotrophin peptidomimetics are developed to
target specific biological functions and can be valuable tools in drug
discovery, especially when natural peptides have limitations like poor oral
bioavailability or susceptibility to degradation," said the team led by
Prof. Ashis K. Mukherjee.
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- "One of the significant advantages of
peptidomimetics is their improved stability and bioavailability compared to
endogenous neurotrophins. This means they can be delivered more effectively to
the brain and maintain their therapeutic activity for a longer duration,"
the team added.
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- In addition, peptidomimetics can be designed to be more
specific to their target receptors, reducing the risk of side effects.
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- The research focused on understanding the signaling
pathways involved in neuronal growth and survival, the potential
pharmacological targets of peptidomimetics, and their therapeutic applications
for neurodegenerative diseases.
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- The team also explored the possibility of repurposing
existing peptidomimetic drugs for other diseases, such as cancer, and the
potential for developing new drug prototypes based on neurotrophins mimetics.
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- As research progresses, the team said that
peptidomimetics could become a key therapeutic strategy, offering new hope for
managing and treating neurodegenerative disorders for future generations.
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