Design of Potent Nicotinic Molecules as Therapeutics for Mental Illnesses

Summary

The goal of this project is to combine state-of-the-art computational techniques with innovative in vivo experiments to design effective, non-addictive and inexpensive nicotinic molecules for the treatment of mental illnesses such as depression, anxiety disorders, schizophrenia, eating disorders and addictive behaviors. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), approximately one billion people worldwide (12.5% of world’s population) have been living with these illnesses. It is estimated that about 60 million adults in the U.S. suffer from mental disorders. Among them, over half (54%) do not receive treatment due to costs, health insurance and other socio-economic factors. This significantly impacts the economy, costing about $100 billion a year in lost productivity.

Team

Mason Klein (Physics), Rajeev Prabhakar (Chemistry)

Design of Potent Nicotinic Molecules as Therapeutics for Mental Illnesses