CRO for CNS Drug Development
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Welcome to QPS Neuropharmacology
QPS Neuropharmacology is the division of QPS that focuses on preclinical studies in CNS diseases, Rare Diseases and Mental Disorders. The on-site availability of highly predictive disease models and unparalleled experience with studies performed for biopharmaceutical companies of all sizes makes QPS Neuropharmacology the first choice for most CNS drug development needs.
Validated transgenic and non-transgenic in vitro and in vivo models cover most targets of Alzheimer’s Disease (AD), Parkinson’s Disease (PD), Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), Frontotemporal Dementia (FTD), Niemann-Pick Disease (NPC1), Gaucher Disease, Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), Schizophrenia, Frontotemporal Lobar Degeneration (FTLD) and other neurodegenerative and rare diseases.
QPS is a global contract research organization (CRO) providing discovery, preclinical and clinical drug development services since 1995. Our mission is to accelerate pharmaceutical breakthroughs across the globe by delivering custom-built research services. An award-winning leader in the CRO industry, QPS is known for proven quality standards, technical expertise, a flexible approach to research, client satisfaction and turnkey laboratories and facilities.
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Inhibition of leukotriene signaling improves motor coordination in the Line 61 mouse model of Synucleinopathies
In her FFG-funded PhD thesis in cooperation with Ludwig Aigner of the Paracelsus University, Salzburg, Austria, Katharina Strempfl currently investigates whether leukotriene inhibition can improve motor impairments in Line 61 mice. Katharina treated Line 61 and non-transgenic (ntg) littermates daily with an oral film (IntelGenx Technologies) containing Montelukast, a cysteinyl leukotriene receptor antagonist that is already approved for the treatment of asthma. Treatment started at an age of 2 weeks for a total of 10 weeks. The effects of Montelukast on motor abilities were assessed after 5 and 10 weeks.
Montelukast was able to improve motor coordination and balance as assessed by the beam walk test in Line 61 mice (Fig.1). The number of slips as well as the number of slips per speed of Line 61 mice was significantly decreased already after 5 weeks of Montelukast treatment (Fig. 1A+C). From treatment week 5 to 10, Montelukast significantly reduced the time that Line 61 animals needed to traverse the beam and in treatment week 10, Montelukast-treated Line 61 mice showed a significantly reduced active time than vehicle-treated Line 61 animals (Fig. 1B). Analysis of all animals in the wire suspension and grip strength test resulted in no significant differences between vehicle- and Montelukast-treated Line 61 mice (data not shown).
In conclusion, Montelukast affects and ameliorates motor coordination and balance. These findings suggest, that Montelukast is a suitable candidate to be repurposed as a treatment for motor impairments in synucleinopathies.
Figure 1: Beam walk test of vehicle- or Montelukast-treated ntg and Line 61 mice. The total number of slips (A), the time for traversing the beams in seconds (B) and the number of slips per speed (C) were assessed on a 13 mm wide square beam. n = 18-22 per group; mean + SEM; three-way ANOVA followed by Bonferroni’s multiple comparison post hoc test; *p<0.05, **p<0.01, **p<0.001.
Figure 2: Representative image of the hippocampal formation of a 3-months old Line 61 mouse. Tissue was labeled for 5-lipoxygenase (5-Lox; red) the rate-limiting enzyme of leukotriene synthesis and counterstained with DAPI to visualize nuclei.