ABSTRACT

Nervous system diseases represent a major health concern worldwide. Although important financial and professional investment, their etiology and pathophysiology still remain mostly elusive. Moreover, the clinical need of disease-modifying therapies is still unmet.

In the last decades, traditional R&D has failed in identifying new effective therapies in many medical areas and drug repositioning has recently emerged as a promising alternative strategy to de novo drug discovery to improve and accelerate therapeutic development.

For the first time, Drug Repositioning: Approaches and Applications for Neurotherapeutics reviews history and advances in drug repositioning, with a special focus on therapeutics for nervous system diseases. International experts from Academia, Industry and Non-profit organisations will provide different views on drug repositioning advantages, challenges and specific applications, which will be covered for nervous system diseases including Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, Huntington's diseases, Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, Spinal Muscular Atrophy, ischemic stroke, and psychiatric disorders.

This book provides a balanced overview and synthesis of drug repositioning concept, methods and applications for neurotherapeutics. It represents a valuable resource for students, scientists and clinicians working in academic settings, industry and government agencies within the fields of neuroscience, pharmacology, neurology, pharmaceutical sciences, drug discovery and development.

section I|58 pages

The Rationale and Economics of Drug Repositioning

chapter 2|18 pages

Repurposing for Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s Diseases

The Ideas, the Pipeline, the Successes, and the Disappointments

section III|157 pages

Drug Repositioning for Nervous System Diseases

chapter 8|22 pages

A Case Study

Chlorpromazine

chapter 14|14 pages

Pharmacology of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis

Old Strategies and New Perspectives