davunetide

Davunetide is an investigational neuroprotective oligopeptide (sequence: Asn-Ala-Pro-Val-Ser-Ile-Pro-Gln, also known as NAPVSIPQ) derived from the activity-dependent neuroprotective protein (ADNP), a naturally occurring brain protein. It has been studied primarily as an intranasal therapy for neurodegenerative and cognitive disorders, including progressive supranuclear palsy, mild cognitive impairment, Alzheimer's disease, frontotemporal dementia with parkinsonism linked to chromosome 17, schizophrenia, and autism spectrum disorder. Davunetide's mechanism of action involves stabilizing microtubules and inhibiting tau protein aggregation by promoting tubulin polymerization and decreasing tau phosphorylation. This action is thought to protect neurons from degeneration associated with tauopathies by preventing or repairing damage caused by neurofibrillary tangles—one of the pathological hallmarks of Alzheimer's disease and related conditions. The drug was developed by Allon Therapeutics (later acquired by Paladin Labs), Exonavis Therapeutics Ltd., and originated from research at Tel Aviv University and the National Institutes of Health[1][2][3][4][5].

Other names

davunetide