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Biotech / Medical : ACADIA Pharmaceuticals Inc (ACAD) -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: tuck who wrote (342)	10/28/2006 12:09:36 PM
From: scaram(o)uche	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 588

>> Anyone got thoughts? << Not like the old days, when I knew the scientists and where they had been, but.... Dr. Schiffer was in the lab of Steve Heinemann, before joining Acadia. I've done some minor collaborative work with the lab (monoclonals against glutamate receptors)..... hot scientists, and Heinemann is a National Academy member known for his work with kainate receptors. He published a single author manuscript in 2002, with Salk as affiliation and giving an email address at Acadia. Thereafter, he published with Brann and others using an Acadia affiliation. The manuscript that you point to is available freebies..... molpharm.aspetjournals.org Just read it, and still can't figure out why they were doing this work. Brann's recent departure may indicate that he was interested in branching out, and this study was "acting out"?? :-) Anyway, weird, Dr. Schiffer just published alone with Heinemann again, citing only the Salk affiliation but giving his email address at Acadia. The manuscript caught my attention for a different reason, for the "wo!" impact of the title........ Association of the human kainate receptor GluR7 gene (GRIK3) with recurrent major depressive disorder H.H. Schiffer , S.F. Heinemann Molecular Neurobiology Laboratory, Salk Institute for Biological Studies, La Jolla, California email: H.H. Schiffer (hschiffer@acadia-pharm.com) Correspondence to H.H. Schiffer, ACADIA Pharmaceuticals, 3911 Sorrento Valley Blvd., San Diego, CA 92121. Abstract The etiology of mood disorders remains elusive, despite our increasing understanding of the neurotransmitter systems and brain regions that are involved. We performed a large family-based association study to test if the human kainate receptor GluR7 gene (GRIK3) is associated with bipolar disorder (BP) or recurrent major depressive disorder (R-MDD). One hundred fifty-three multiplex BP families from the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) Genetics Initiative on Bipolar Disorder were analyzed with the transmission disequilibrium test (TDT). We detected a significant linkage disequilibrium (LD) indicated by preferential maternal transmission of the GluR7 S310 allele to R-MDD patients (P = 0.012), but not to bipolar I disorder (BPI) patients (P = 1.00). We performed a second independent study by applying the TDT in 81 parent-offspring triads from families that inherit recurrent early-onset major depressive disorder (RE-MDD). The results from this second study showed only a suggestive maternal association (P = 0.068). Our findings imply that the GluR7 gene is a susceptibility factor in R-MDD and that the glutamatergic receptor system plays a critical role in the disease etiology. In general, using affiliation like this would usually mean that the work was conducted BEFORE Dr. Schiffer moved to Acadia. But that would mean that the work percolated for about four years?? Rambling in detective work, no apparent benefit to me or you. :-)