Addex Research Highlights MGlu7 Modulation As A Novel Pathway In Sleep And Stress Regulation
(RTTNews) – Addex Therapeutics (ADXN), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company, announced the publication of new preclinical research demonstrating that ADX71743, a selective negative allosteric modulator (NAM) of metabotropic glutamate receptor 7 (mGlu7), significantly influences sleep-wake cycles and stress-related neurochemistry in animal models.
The study, published in the International Journal of Neuropsychopharmacology, showed that ADX71743 increased wakefulness while reducing both REM and non-REM sleep in rats. It also altered stress-induced changes in neurotransmitters such as glutamate, GABA and monoamines, across multiple brain regions, producing effects consistent with modulation of stress-responsive neural circuits.
Tim Dyer, CEO at Addex, said the findings “add another important piece of evidence supporting the therapeutic potential of targeting these receptors with allosteric modulation,” noting that the data further strengthen the rationale for Neurosterix’s ongoing development of the mGlu7 program.
Previous studies have already demonstrated that selective mGlu7 inhibition can modulate anxiety-related behaviors, disrupt maladaptive fear memory reconsolidation and influence glutamatergic signaling in both rodent and human brain tissue.
ADX71743, discovered by Addex, has served as the prototype molecule underpinning numerous publications exploring mGlu7’s therapeutic potential across anxiety, stress-related disorders, sleep regulation, fear memory, and visceral pain. The program is now being advanced by Neurosterix, a neuroscience company launched by Addex and Perceptive Advisors in 2024.
Addex continues to develop a portfolio of small-molecule allosteric modulators for neurological disorders, with dipraglurant (mGlu5 NAM) under evaluation for brain injury recovery and GABAB PAM programs advancing in substance use disorders and chronic cough.
ADXN has traded between $5.41 and $12.05 over the past year. The stock closed Tuesday’s trading at $5.79. In pre-market trading the stock is at $6.19, up 6.91%.
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