Defence of doctoral thesis on a new compound for the treatment of dementia and epilepsy

On 14 December at 15:00 in an open meeting of the Medical Promotion Council of RSU to be held in the Hippocrates Lecture Theatre (Riga, 16 Dzirciema Street) Edijs Vāvers will defend his doctoral thesis Discovery of E1R: A Novel Positive Allosteric Modulator of Sigma-1 Receptor.

Sigma-1 receptor (Sig1R) is a new protein, which was included in the international classification of receptors only in 2013. It is believed that Sig1R ligands are potential novel drug candidates for the treatment of central and peripheral nervous system diseases. The purpose of the doctoral thesis was to evaluate the pharmacological activity of novel Sig1R ligands and to search for their possible clinical applications.

The Latvian Institute of Organic Synthesis has synthesized a new compound – derivative piracetam E1R. The pharmacological assessment of the compound revealed that it may change the activity of Sig1R, however without having an effect on other neuronal receptors and ion channels covered by the research. The application of selective Sig1R compounds proved that E1R may intensify the activity of Sig1R activating compounds. The obtained results showed that E1R markedly improved memory function by activating Sig1R. In addition to that, E1R also demonstrated anti-cramp characteristics, indicating towards the potential application of the compound in the treatment of dementia and epilepsy.

The obtained results are of international importance for studies dealing with physiological characteristics of Sig1R receptors and equally also for research dealing with the future clinical applications of Sig1R compounds.