Since the pioneering pharmacotherapy for treatment of schizophrenia in the 1950s by antipsychotics, only a few major innovations have been made, pointing to a general stagnation in the field of pharmacology of schizophrenia. Drug Discovery for Schizophrenia covers new insights in the field of schizophrenia with an aim to advance the understanding of scientists and clinicians in this area and to fuel drug discovery. The book outlines a change in the way schizophrenia is treated by moving away from focusing only on treating symptoms in patients. Innovative drugs emerge from deeper comprehension of the pathological processes that emerge earlier in life, hence, providing strategies for preventative therapy to alter the course of this mental disorder. Amongst other current topics, the book covers new findings in genetics and epigenetics, progress in animal models for schizophrenia and the usage of induced pluripotent stem cells. The combination of these important areas benefit psychiatric neuroscience, filling the gaps in the knowledge of neurobiology of schizophrenia and providing novel perspectives for future drug development.

Improving and Accelerating Therapeutic Development for Nervous System Disorders is the summary of a workshop convened by the IOM Forum on Neuroscience and Nervous System Disorders to examine opportunities to accelerate early phases of drug development for nervous system drug discovery. Workshop participants discussed challenges in neuroscience research for enabling faster entry of potential treatments into first-in-human trials, explored how new and emerging tools and technologies may improve the efficiency of research, and considered mechanisms to facilitate a more effective and efficient development pipeline. There are several challenges to the current drug development pipeline for nervous system disorders. The fundamental etiology and pathophysiology of many nervous system disorders are unknown and the brain is inaccessible to study, making it difficult to develop accurate models. Patient heterogeneity is high, disease pathology can occur years to decades before becoming clinically apparent, and diagnostic and treatment biomarkers are lacking. In addition, the lack of validated targets, limitations related to the predictive validity of animal models - the extent to which the model predicts clinical efficacy - and regulatory barriers can also impede translation and drug development for nervous system disorders. Improving and Accelerating Therapeutic Development for Nervous System Disorders identifies avenues for moving directly from cellular models to human trials, minimizing the need for animal models to test efficacy, and discusses the potential benefits and risks of such an approach. This report is a timely discussion of opportunities to improve early drug development with a focus toward preclinical trials.

Since the pioneering pharmacotherapy for treatment of schizophrenia in the 1950s by antipsychotics, only a few major innovations have been made, pointing to a general stagnation in the field of pharmacology of schizophrenia. Drug Discovery for Schizophrenia covers new insights in the field of schizophrenia with an aim to advance the understanding of scientists and clinicians in this area and to fuel drug discovery. The book outlines a change in the way schizophrenia is treated by moving away from focusing only on treating symptoms in patients. Innovative drugs emerge from deeper comprehension of the pathological processes that emerge earlier in life, hence, providing strategies for preventative therapy to alter the course of this mental disorder. Amongst other current topics, the book covers new findings in genetics and epigenetics, progress in animal models for schizophrenia and the usage of induced pluripotent stem cells. The combination of these important areas benefit psychiatric neuroscience, filling the gaps in the knowledge of neurobiology of schizophrenia and providing novel perspectives for future drug development.

This textbook provides a comprehensive overview of the currently used concepts, approaches and technologies in the discovery and development of new treatments for the full spectrum of disorders of the central nervous system. It guides the reader through all essential steps, from finding an innovative idea, to the registration of a new drug. Divided into four sections, the book starts by presenting a broad perspective on current approaches in central nervous system (CNS) drug discovery. The second section addresses the generation of ideas for the identification of targets and novel treatment strategies; covers core functions in early discovery, and provides an example of a novel treatment paradigm: brain stimulation. The third section highlights strategies and technologies in translational CNS drug discovery. In an effort to bridge the gap between discovery and clinical development, it also covers brain imaging, EEG and cognitive testing approaches. The fourth section extensively discusses the clinical phase of drug development, covering the basics of early clinical testing for psychopharmacological drugs. The book’s final chapter addresses the registration for newly developed drugs. Written by experts from academia and industry, the book covers important basics and best practices, as well as recent developments in drug discovery. Offering in-depth insights into the world of drug development, it represents essential reading for early researchers who want to prepare for a career in drug discovery in academia or industry.

Antipsychotic medications are a key treatment for schizophrenia and sales of antipsychotic drugs approach $20 billion per year, with fierce marketing between the makers of the drugs. The U.S. National Institute of Mental Health sponsored the Clinical Antipsychotic Trials of Intervention Effectiveness (CATIE) project to provide independent information about the comparative effectiveness of medications. CATIE was the largest, longest and most comprehensive study of schizophrenia to date. Conducted under rigorous double-blind conditions, Antipsychotic Trials in Schizophrenia presents the definitive archival results of this landmark study. The core of the book consists of chapters focused on specific outcomes that set the CATIE findings in a wider context. Also included are chapters on the design, statistical analyses and implications for researchers, clinicians and policy makers. Psychiatrists, psychiatric researchers, mental health policy makers and those working in pharmaceutical companies will all find this to be essential reading.

The discovery and development of effective medicines for the treatment of psychiatric disorders such as schizophrenia and depression has been heralded as one of the great medical achievements of the past century. Indeed, the profound impact of these medicines on our understanding of the pathophysiology underlying these diseases, the treatment of psychiatric patients and even our social perception of mental illnesses cannot be underestimated. However, there is still an urgent medical need for even more effective, safe and well-tolerated treatments. For example, currently available treatments for schizophrenia address mainly the positive symptoms and largely neglect the negative symptoms and cognitive disfunction which greatly impact overall morbidity. Similarly, whilst the current first line antidepressants show significantly improved side effect profiles compared to the first generation therapies, there still up to 40% of patients who are treatment resistant, and even in the patient population which responds well, the onset of action is slow at typically 2-3 weeks. The aim of this book is to provide the first point of call for those involved or just interested in this rapidly expanding and increasingly fragmented field of research and drug discovery. The editors will combine their wide ranging experience and extensive network of contacts with leading scientists and opinion leaders in this field to provide an authoritative reference text covering the evolution, major advances, challenges and future directions in drug discovery and medicinal chemistry for major psychiatric disorders, such as schizophrenia, depression, anxiety, ADHD, bipolar disorder, addiction and autism.