Argenta, a service division of Galapagos NV has announced that it recently concluded contract research support to the University of Edinburgh for a Wellcome Trust funded Seeding Drug Discovery Initiative (SDDI) project resulting in the successful identification of a preclinical candidate.

The three-year project aimed at identifying selective inhibitors of the 11beta-HSD1 enzyme resulted in the identification of a lead candidate. The class of compounds, which will hopefully enter human clinical trials next year, is being investigated as a potential drug that could slow the natural decline in memory associated with aging. The preclinical candidate has been shown to improve cognitive and memory function in aging mice. The nomination of this preclinical candidate brings the total number of such candidates identified by Argenta in its 10 year history to over 35.