Team 7
Molecular biology of
neuronal transport

In Silico and Preclinical Drug Screening for Neurodevelopmental Disorders

Building on our previous work, we use RNA-seq and in silico approaches to screen for drugs with new therapeutic properties, such as anxiolytics or painkillers, in models of neurodevelopmental disorders.

Rett syndrome remains an incurable pathology, and available treatments have long aimed only at alleviating symptoms. Building on targets identified in RTT mouse models, we collaborate with experts in medicinal chemistry and pharmacology to synthesise, characterise, and validate the therapeutic potential of new candidate drugs, with the goal of improving anxiety, pain, and comorbidities in these disorders.

Main papers

β-sitosterol reduces anxiety and synergizes with established anxiolytic drugs in mice

Panayotis, N., Freund, P. A., Marvaldi, L., Shalit, T., Brandis, A., Mehlman, T., Tsoory, M. M., & Fainzilber, M. — Cell reports. Medicine, 2021

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Importin α3 regulates chronic pain pathways in peripheral sensory neurons

Marvaldi, L., Panayotis, N., Alber, S., Dagan, S. Y., Okladnikov, N., Koppel, I., Di Pizio, A., Song, D. A., Tzur, Y., Terenzio, M., Rishal, I., Gordon, D., Rother, F., Hartmann, E., Bader, M., & Fainzilber, M. — Science, 2020

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Importin α5 Regulates Anxiety through MeCP2 and Sphingosine Kinase 1

Panayotis, N., Sheinin, A., Dagan, S. Y., Tsoory, M. M., Rother, F., Vadhvani, M., Meshcheriakova, A., Koley, S., Marvaldi, L., Song, D. A., Reuveny, E., Eickholt, B. J., Hartmann, E., Bader, M., Michaelevski, I., & Fainzilber, M. — Cell reports, 2018

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