Research
Rett Syndrome Program
Colleen Niswender, Ph.D.

Using animal models to develop therapeutic pharmaceutical targets

The metabotropic glutamate receptor 7 (mGlu7), which transmits nerve signals in the brain, was reduced in brain areas of the mice. Subsequently, the team tested a drug compound to “boost” the activation of the mGlu7 receptor, which in turn improved the performance of the mice in learning and memory tasks. This line of research provides a foundation for drug discovery with the potential in the future for human clinical trials.

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