Addressing Sleep Disturbances Associated With Cognitive Impairment

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Boehringer Ingelheim and researchers from the Stanley Center for Psychiatric Research at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard have agreed to collaborate on developing treatments that address sleep disturbances associated with cognitive impairment in mental health disorders like schizophrenia or mood disorders.¹

Research has proven that sleep disturbance is associated with mild cognitive impairment.² Approximately 80% of those with schizophrenia are impacted by cognitive symptoms, and 6 in 10 are likely to isolate due to negative symptoms.³ Addressing these issues is key, as there are no current treatments for cognitive impairment, despite its frequent presentation in patients with mental health disorders.

“The team at Broad has made groundbreaking strides in understanding the unique role of these ion channels. This opens up a completely new way to potentially tackle cognitive impairment, a condition for which there are no treatments currently available,” said Hugh Marston, PhD, head of CNS Diseases Research at Boehringer Ingelheim. “This new approach complements our portfolio, which seeks to address cognitive impairment in schizophrenia via a different pathway. This may enable more precise differentiation and segmentation of patients and potentially provide better mental health solutions to help ease the burden of this condition.”

“We look forward to further advancing the preclinical compounds developed at the Broad. Collaborating with Boehringer Ingelheim to address cognitive impairment is a significant step toward our shared mission of providing innovative solutions for unmet needs of patients with mental illnesses,” said Jen Q. Pan, PhD, institute scientist and director of Translational Neurobiology at the Stanley Center for Psychiatric Research at the Broad Institute.

“The Stanley Center is dedicated to understanding the biological mechanisms of schizophrenia and bipolar disorder in order to develop therapies that improve the quality of life for people living with these conditions,” said Morgan Sheng, MD, PhD, codirector of the Stanley Center. “We are excited to collaborate with Boehringer Ingelheim to translate these findings into potential new medicines.”

The Broad Institute will receive research funding, as well as potential development, regulatory, and sales milestone payments of up to $126.5 million, plus tiered royalties on future Boehringer Ingelheim product sales.

References

1. Boehringer Ingelheim collaborates with the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard to develop novel, first-in-class treatments for people living with mental health conditions. News release. November 4, 2024. Accessed November 4, 2024. https://www.boehringer-ingelheim.com/partnering/human-health-partnering/boehringer-ingelheim-collaborates-broad-institute

2. Gao F, Wei S, Dang L, et al. Sleep disturbance is associated with mild cognitive impairment: a community population-based cross-sectional study. BMC Public Health. 2022;22(2000).

3. Kuntz L. Look beyond stable: an installation on living with schizophrenia. Psychiatric Times. May 4, 2024. https://www.psychiatrictimes.com/view/look-beyond-stable-an-installation-on-living-with-schizophrenia