Skip to content
OKBio
  • Bio in Oklahoma
  • Member Benefits
  • Contact
  • Media
  • Career Center
Menu
  • Bio in Oklahoma
  • Member Benefits
  • Contact
  • Media
  • Career Center
Search

Moleculera receives OCAST grant

Get in Touch

By staff writers

Courtesy of The Journal Record

OKLAHOMA CITY – Moleculera Labs has been awarded a two-year $300,000 matching grant from the Oklahoma Center for the Advancement of Science and Technology.

The grant supports the development and clinical validation of new diagnostic testing panels to identify autoantibodies directed against neuronal antigens in patients experiencing neuropsychiatric disorders including depression, bipolar disorder and schizophrenia.

“This new grant supports work expanding our successful efforts in developing additional assays to assist clinicians in diagnosing PANS and PANDAS, treatable neurologic conditions in children that manifest as obsessive-compulsive disorders, motor tics, separation anxiety and other behavioral disorders,” said Craig Shimasaki, president and CEO of Moleculera.

Research by Madeleine Cunningham, Oklahoma City-based Moleculera’s co-founder and chief scientific officer, and her collaborators has led to development of the Cunningham Panel. The panel measures anti-neuronal antibodies and neuronal cell-activating antibodies circulating in the patient’s blood, as well as the activity of a key enzyme in the brain involved in the up-regulation of many neurotransmitters including dopamine.

“Research by Moleculera and others suggest that a portion of patients with conditions such as chronic depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia and other neuropsychiatric disorders may also be triggered by neuronal autoimmune responses and inflammation in the brain,” Shimasaki said. “If correctly identified, such patients could be treated with immune modulation therapies rather than psychiatric treatments alone, thus addressing an underlying cause of their disorder to improve their recovery and quality of life.”

Read the story at the Journal Record website (subscription required)

Author

  • admin

    View all posts

More News

OKBio

Oklahoma City Office

840 Research Parkway, Suite 250
OKC, OK 73104
+1 (405) 235.2305

Tulsa Office

100 S. Cincinnati Ave – Suite 514
Tulsa, OK 74103
+1 (918) 582.5592

  • OKBio Home
  • BIO In Oklahoma
  • Member Benefits
  • Contact
  • Media
  • Career Center

© 2022 OKBio

Follow us:

Facebook Twitter
OKBio

Programs

  • BIO In Oklahoma
  • Member Benefits
  • Contact
  • Media
  • Career Center

Services