Gate Neurosciences to Present Synaptic Function Molecule Data at 2024 ASCP Meeting

Gate Neurosciences, Inc., a clinical-stage biotech firm specializing in advanced neuroscience therapies using precision medicine, is set to participate in the 2024 annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Psychopharmacology (ASCP). This event will be held in Miami Beach, FL, from May 28-31, 2024. The company will present new research findings, both preclinical and clinical, that bolster its NMDAR PAM portfolio and provide fresh insights into the biological mechanisms of neuroplasticity and synaptic function.

The company’s research focuses on the concept of 'event-driven pharmacology,' which involves triggering both rapid and long-lasting therapeutic effects with a single dose of neuroplasticity-enhancing drugs. Their findings underscore the critical role of dosing intervals in optimizing treatments for plasticity. At the ASCP conference, Gate Neurosciences will share these insights during its 3rd annual R&D Day, where leading members of the scientific community will be present. The session will include updates on an upcoming Phase 2 study involving zelquistinel (GATE-251), a once-weekly oral program for treating Major Depressive Disorder (MDD).

The annual R&D Day will take place at the Loews Hotel in Miami Beach, Florida, on Tuesday, May 30, 2024, from 12:15 p.m. to 1:45 p.m. CEO Mike McCully emphasizes the progress made by Gate Neurosciences in understanding mechanisms that enhance synaptic function to treat CNS diseases. He highlights the importance of proper dosing and expresses enthusiasm about sharing new data and insights with the psychiatry community at the ASCP conference.

Gate Neurosciences will showcase its research through poster presentations, featuring novel findings from preclinical studies and updated data from a recent Phase 1 biomarker study involving apimostinel.

One poster presentation (Poster #T14) will focus on apimostinel, a novel NMDAR modulator with rapid-acting and sustained effects. This presentation will take place during Poster Session II in Salon 4 on Thursday, May 30, 2024, from 12:30 p.m. to 2:25 p.m. The lead author, Jeffrey Burgdorf, PhD, will highlight several key findings:
- A single dose of apimostinel significantly enhanced long-term potentiation (LTP), with effects lasting 7 days, and produced robust antidepressant-like effects without ketamine-like side effects.
- Apimostinel dose-dependently enhanced qEEG alpha power in correlation with cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) exposure, serving as a biomarker for NMDA receptor activation.
- Repeated doses of apimostinel led to larger and longer-lasting metaplastic effects.

Another poster (Poster #T21) will present data from a Phase 1 safety, pharmacokinetics, and qEEG pharmacodynamics study of intravenous apimostinel compared to a placebo in healthy volunteers. Scheduled for the same session and location, this presentation by lead author Ronald M. Burch, MD PhD, will detail:
- The safety and tolerability of apimostinel at doses ranging from 1 to 25 mg.
- The dose-dependent stimulation of qEEG alpha power by apimostinel.
- The correlation of qEEG alpha power stimulation with CSF Cmax drug concentrations, consistent with maximal NMDA receptor stimulation observed in vitro.
- The consistency of qEEG alpha power stimulation with efficacious doses from a previous Phase 2a clinical MDD study.

Gate Neurosciences, headquartered in Indianapolis, focuses on developing next-generation CNS treatments to address mental health needs. The company’s portfolio includes novel mechanisms aimed at enhancing synaptic function to treat neuropsychiatric and neurocognitive diseases, such as major depressive disorder (MDD). Guided by extensive clinical, preclinical, and translational data, Gate Neurosciences is advancing its clinical pipeline through precision psychiatry approaches.