The long-range goal of our therapeutic development endeavors is to develop efficacious and safe agents to prevent and/or delay progression of age-related neurodegenerative disease such as Alzheimer's. Toward that end, we propose a preclinical project to develop the neurosteroid, allopregnanolone as a neurogenic regenerative therapeutic. The current proposal is a translational therapeutic development project to conduct preclinical analyses required for an Investigational New Drug (IND) application to the FDA to determine the efficacy of allopregnanolone as a neurogenic regenerative agent. Preclinical IND studies proposed herein build upon our foundation of basic science discovery and mechanistic understanding of allopregnanolone action in neural progenitor cells. To conduct the proposed project, we have assembled an interdisciplinary team of scientists with expertise in 1) neurobiology of allopregnanolone (Brinton USC research team), 2) behavioral analyses to determine therapeutic efficacy on learning and memory functions affected in mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer's disease (PsychoGenics), and 3) pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, toxicology, therapeutic formulation, regulatory affairs and IND document preparation (Stanford Research Institute International;SRI) 4). In addition, we have assembled a team of Consultants with expertise in development of therapeutics for AD within the following domains: 1) AD therapeutic development within the pharmaceutical industry, 2) regulatory affairs, 3) pharmacokinetics and dynamics, 4) therapeutic formulation, 5) design of clinical trials and 6) cognitive and neurological deficits diagnostic of mild cognitive impairment and AD. Consistent with preclinical analyses required for an FDA IND application, we propose four IND related Specific Aims and one project management Specific Aim. Together these aims are designed to [I] Determine therapeutic efficacy of allopregnanolone and impact of age and gender on efficacy in the triple transgenic mouse model of Alzheimer's;[II] Determine pharmacodynamics, pharmacokinetics (ADME) and toxicology of allopregnanolone;[III] Acquire cGMP quality allopreganaolone for Phase I Clinical Trial;[IV] Generation of FDA Investigational New Drug Application and Clinical Investigator Brochure documents;and [V] Project Management to achieve IND filing goal.
Each Specific Aim i s designed to address preclinical IND requirements and each is milestone driven with clearly articulated Go / no-Go decision criteria.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Institute on Aging (NIA)
Type
Research Project--Cooperative Agreements (U01)
Project #
5U01AG031115-02
Application #
7613365
Study Section
Special Emphasis Panel (ZAG1-ZIJ-3 (O3))
Program Officer
Buckholtz, Neil
Project Start
2008-04-15
Project End
2013-03-31
Budget Start
2009-04-01
Budget End
2010-03-31
Support Year
2
Fiscal Year
2009
Total Cost
$582,360
Indirect Cost
Name
University of Southern California
Department
Pharmacology
Type
Schools of Pharmacy
DUNS #
072933393
City
Los Angeles
State
CA
Country
United States
Zip Code
90089
PLOS ONE Staff (2015) Correction: Allopregnanolone Preclinical Acute Pharmacokinetic and Pharmacodynamic Studies to Predict Tolerability and Efficacy for Alzheimer's Disease. PLoS One 10:e0132210
Irwin, Ronald W; Solinsky, Christine M; Loya, Carlos M et al. (2015) Allopregnanolone preclinical acute pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic studies to predict tolerability and efficacy for Alzheimer's disease. PLoS One 10:e0128313
Irwin, Ronald W; Brinton, Roberta Diaz (2014) Allopregnanolone as regenerative therapeutic for Alzheimer's disease: translational development and clinical promise. Prog Neurobiol 113:40-55
Irwin, Ronald W; Solinsky, Christine M; Brinton, Roberta Diaz (2014) Frontiers in therapeutic development of allopregnanolone for Alzheimer's disease and other neurological disorders. Front Cell Neurosci 8:203
Brinton, Roberta D (2013) Neurosteroids as regenerative agents in the brain: therapeutic implications. Nat Rev Endocrinol 9:241-50
Singh, Chanpreet; Liu, Lifei; Wang, Jun Ming et al. (2012) Allopregnanolone restores hippocampal-dependent learning and memory and neural progenitor survival in aging 3xTgAD and nonTg mice. Neurobiol Aging 33:1493-506
Chen, Shuhua; Wang, Jun Ming; Irwin, Ronald W et al. (2011) Allopregnanolone promotes regeneration and reduces ?-amyloid burden in a preclinical model of Alzheimer's disease. PLoS One 6:e24293
Wang, Jun Ming; Singh, Chanpreet; Liu, Lifei et al. (2010) Allopregnanolone reverses neurogenic and cognitive deficits in mouse model of Alzheimer's disease. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 107:6498-503