University of Western Australia
The University of Western Australia and healthcare technology and drug development company Emyria have expanded their collaboration to investigate the therapeutic potential of compounds similar to the drug MDMA (ecstasy).
In 2021 Emyria secured the rights to a UWA library of more than 100 novel MDMA analogues (compounds), which were created in the research group of UWA medicinal chemist Associate Professor Matt Piggott, with an initial focus on drug discovery for Parkinson’s disease.
Under the expanded agreement, Emyria will provide an additional $450,000 to UWA and Associate Professor Piggott’s research group over the next 12 months to facilitate additional compound synthesis and screening.
Emyria’s Managing Director Dr Michael Winlo said to date, 85 compounds had been successfully screened with several now being prepared for preclinical testing to determine therapeutic potential.
“Emyria’s partnership with UWA has been very productive and we’re proud to continue our support of the development, commercialisation and translation of this promising and unique compound library
developed by Associate Professor Piggott and his team,” Dr Winlo said.
“Initial screening results have been very positive and in a short timeframe, we’ve identified several promising compounds which we are now advancing.
“This additional funding will help us further expand the library and build a strong patent and translational strategy with our global team.”
On the back of a worldwide resurgence in psychedelic medicine, MDMA has recently undergone successful clinical trials for the treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
With careful guidance, MDMA allows PTSD patients to open up and address distressing memories, facilitating recovery. However, the drug has a long duration of action and side-effects that make it not ideal for psychotherapy.
The UWA analogues are similar to MDMA but subtle modifications to the chemical structure change the profile of how neurological targets are impacted, resulting in different pharmacological activity. These modifications also change pharmacokinetic properties like how rapidly the drug is metabolised.
“I’m delighted to be working with Emyria to investigate the therapeutic potential of our MDMA analogues,” Associate Professor Piggott said.
“We’ve already identified hits for new disease indications as a result of the screening program this collaboration has enabled and we’re excited at the prospect of translating these findings to the clinic, where they can improve quality of life for patients with unmet needs.”