CREATe-1 engineered chemogenetic receptor (CREATe-1)

CREATe-1 is a proprietary engineered chemogenetic receptor developed by CREATe Therapeutics (a spin-off of VRG Therapeutics) for the treatment of central nervous system (CNS) disorders (createtherapeutics.com, 2025). It is a designer G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) that is engineered to be unresponsive to endogenous ligands and to have no constitutive activity, but to be highly sensitive to a specific, otherwise inert, exogenous small-molecule actuator (vrgtherapeutics.com, 2024). By delivering the gene for CREATe-1 to specific neuronal populations using viral vectors such as adeno-associated virus (AAV), clinicians can achieve precise, dose-dependent neuromodulation of those neurons upon administration of the actuator drug (Kovács et al., Scientific Reports, 2024). This approach is being developed primarily for treatment-resistant focal epilepsy, where it aims to suppress seizure activity in a localized brain region, but it also has potential applications in neuropathic pain, Parkinson's disease, and other CNS conditions (createtherapeutics.com, 2025). Preclinical studies have demonstrated the receptor's dose-dependent efficacy and safety in in vivo models, providing a foundation for its development as a new class of CNS therapeutics (vrgtherapeutics.com, 2025).

Other names

CREATe-1CREATeTMChemogenetic Receptor Engineering for Advanced Therapeutics

Small molecule-controlled gene therapy involving the expression of an engineered GPCR that is activated by an exogenous actuator to modulate neuronal activity.