Boosting a brain channel (CaV3.3) to help memory and thinking tied to disrupted sleep rhythms
Potentiate Cav3.3 To Treat Cognitive Deficits Associated with Impaired Sleep Spindle
This project will develop drugs that strengthen a brain channel called CaV3.3 to help people with Alzheimer's disease or schizophrenia who have disrupted sleep-related brain waves and memory problems.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Broad Institute, INC. NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Cambridge, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-10876958 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
Researchers think brief brain waves during deep sleep called sleep spindles help memory, and those spindles are reduced in people with Alzheimer's disease and schizophrenia. They discovered two new chemical starting points that boost the CaV3.3 channel, which is important for generating sleep spindles. The team will refine these compounds into brain-ready molecules and test them in lab and animal models to see if spindles and cognitive function improve. Successful leads would be moved toward preclinical development as candidates for future human testing.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal candidates for eventual trials would be people with Alzheimer's disease or schizophrenia who show impaired sleep spindles and related cognitive symptoms.
Not a fit: People without disrupted sleep spindles, those whose cognitive problems arise from unrelated causes, or those seeking immediate approved treatments are unlikely to benefit from this preclinical work.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could lead to new medicines that restore sleep spindle activity and improve memory and attention in people with Alzheimer's disease or schizophrenia.
How similar studies have performed: This is a novel approach: lab studies have identified compounds that boost CaV3.3, but there are not yet proven human treatments using this mechanism.
Where this research is happening
Cambridge, United States
- Broad Institute, INC. — Cambridge, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Pan, Jen Qian — Broad Institute, INC.
- Study coordinator: Pan, Jen Qian
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.