Sensorium Therapeutics Presents Promising Anxiety & Epilepsy Data at Neuroscience 2024

Boston-based Sensorium Therapeutics, a biotechnology firm, has announced promising preclinical results for its lead programs at Neuroscience 2024, held in Chicago. The company's key developments include SENS-01, a novel, highly selective, fast-acting anxiolytic intended for anxiety treatment, and SENS-03, a unique chemical entity designed to address focal onset seizures in patients with drug-resistant epilepsy. Additionally, Sensorium presented the advanced capabilities of its Biodynamic Discovery Platform™.

The preclinical data support Sensorium's approach to drug development, which utilizes medicinal chemistry, advanced neuronal screening models, and machine learning to create first-in-class CNS medicines derived from natural compounds with established efficacy and safety. CEO Alexandra Glucksmann highlighted the potential of this strategy to develop groundbreaking CNS treatments as the company aims to begin clinical trials early next year.

The SENS-01 program features a novel molecule, a synthetic derivative of a natural compound validated in humans as a fast-acting anxiolytic. This molecule has shown excellent CNS drug-like properties, a clean safety profile, and in vivo efficacy in multiple models. The program is nearing the completion of IND-enabling studies with plans for clinical entry in early 2025.

Simultaneously, Sensorium is advancing its SENS-03 program to tackle seizures and associated anxiety, affecting 80% of patients with drug-resistant epilepsy. This novel molecule has demonstrated efficacy in validated seizure models and preclinical anxiety models. With a distinct mechanism of action compared to existing treatments, the SENS-03 program is expected to declare a development candidate in early 2025.

During the Neuroscience 2024 conference, Sensorium presented several poster sessions. One focused on the development of SENS-01, revealing that the anxiolytic candidate is a small molecule synthetic derivative of a natural compound, validated as a fast-onset anxiolytic. Both in vitro and in vivo data confirmed its rapid onset effects, and IND-enabling safety studies indicated a clean safety profile.

Another session discussed the SENS-03 program. Sensorium's AI-Driven Product Engine identified a natural compound with human validation of anxiolytic and anti-epileptic properties. Preclinical data confirmed these effects, and chemical optimization led to novel synthetic derivatives that maintained efficacy while improving CNS drug-like properties.

Additionally, a session on Sensorium's Discovery Platform highlighted their advanced ethnopharmacological knowledge graph to discover molecules with proven human efficacy. Using integrated human iPSC-derived and rodent primary neural systems, Sensorium defines the differentiation and novel pharmacology of compounds. This data supports a closed-loop system to advance novel drug classifiers and provide mechanistic insights for new pipeline compounds currently under development.

Sensorium Therapeutics is committed to leveraging the complexity of nature and the human brain to develop modern medicines for CNS diseases. Their innovative Biodynamic Discovery Platform™ integrates technologies from chemistry, neuroscience, and machine learning to create neuropsychiatric drugs inspired by plant-based compounds with documented human efficacy. Their lead asset, SENS-01, aims to be a rapid-acting treatment for anxiety disorders.