Cardiff University spin-out Draig Therapeutics emerged from the shadows this morning with £107 million ($140 million) in funding to develop new therapies for neuropsychiatric disorders.

卡迪夫大学衍生公司Draig Therapeutics今天早上浮出水面，获得1.07亿英镑（1.4亿美元）的融资，用于开发神经精神障碍的新疗法。

The financing has been billed as the most significant commercial investment into Welsh research to date, and will help

这笔融资被称为迄今为止对威尔士研究领域最重要的商业投资，并将有助于

Draig

龙

– which is the Welsh word for dragon – build on research conducted in the labs of Profs John Atack and Simon Ward of Cardiff's Medicines Discovery Institute.

– 这是威尔士语中“龙”的意思 – 建立在约翰·阿塔克教授和西蒙·沃德教授于卡迪夫药物发现研究所实验室进行的研究基础上。

Its R&D will focus on the development of medicines that interact with two neurotransmitter systems in the brain – glutamate and GABA – with a lead programme targeted at major depressive disorder (MDD).

其研发将专注于开发与大脑中的两种神经递质系统——谷氨酸和γ-氨基丁酸（GABA）——相互作用的药物，主导项目则针对重度抑郁症（MDD）。

Draig has launched with one clinical-stage candidate called DT-101, described as a next-generation small molecule positive allosteric modulator (PAM) of the AMPA receptor, which is activated by glutamate.

Draig推出了一种名为DT-101的临床阶段候选药物，被描述为AMPA受体的下一代小分子正向变构调节剂（PAM），该受体由谷氨酸激活。

According to the company, DT-101 has been designed with a much wider therapeutic window compared to previous generation AMPA receptor modulators, which could reduce side effects and preserve its efficacy. Phase 2 trials are due to start before the end of the year.

据该公司称，与上一代AMPA受体调节剂相比，DT-101的设计具有更宽的治疗窗口，这可能会减少副作用并保持其疗效。二期试验预计在今年年底前开始。

Other drugs in the class have run into toxicity issues, including convulsions or neurotoxicity, which have scuppered development programmes such as Eli Lilly's mibampator and Servier/RespireRx' tulrampator.

该类别的其他药物遇到了毒性问题，包括抽搐或神经毒性，这已经破坏了诸如礼来公司的mibampator和Servier/RespireRx的tulrampator等开发计划。

One candidate that has stayed the course so far is Neurocrine Biosciences' osavampator, which is in phase 3 testing as an add-on therapy for patients with MDD who do not respond to standard antidepressants.

迄今为止，一个仍然坚持到底的候选药物是Neurocrine Biosciences公司的osavampator，该药物正在进行第三阶段测试，作为对标准抗抑郁药无反应的MDD患者的辅助治疗。

Along with MDD, AMPA-targeting drugs have also been proposed as potential treatments for other diseases, including Alzheimer's and cognitive impairment due to schizophrenia.

除了MDD，针对AMPA的药物也被提议作为其他疾病的潜在治疗方法，包括阿尔茨海默病和因精神分裂症导致的认知障碍。

Following after in Draig's pipeline are two other programmes – GABAA receptor modulators DT-201 and DT-301 – for undisclosed neuropsychiatry indications. They are due to start human testing in 2026.

紧随其后在Draig的研发管线中的还有另外两个项目——GABAA受体调节剂DT-201和DT-301，针对未公开的神经精神科适应症。它们预计将于2026年开始人体试验。

The initial investment in Draig was led by Access Biotechnology, alongside SV Health Investors and ICG, and also included Canaan Partners, SR One, Sanofi Ventures and Schroders Capital as backers.

Draig的初始投资由Access Biotechnology领投，SV Health Investors和ICG共同参与，Canaan Partners、SR One、Sanofi Ventures和Schroders Capital也作为支持者加入。

Atack will serve as chief translational officer at Draig, while Ward takes the role of chief scientific officer. The management team also includes Ruth McKernan, operating partner at SV Health Investors, who has been named executive chair, along with senior executives from other biopharma groups.

阿塔克将在Draig担任首席转化官，而沃德将担任首席科学官。管理团队还包括SV Health Investors的运营合伙人露丝·麦基尔南，她被任命为执行主席，同时还有来自其他生物制药集团的高级管理人员。

The role of chief medical officer is held by Inder Kaul, formerly of Bristol-Myers Squibb and Karuna Therapeutics, while David Watson (ex-Biogen) is chief operating officer and Florian Islinger (ex-Roche) will lead commercial strategy at the startup.

首席医疗官一职由曾就职于百时美施贵宝和Karuna Therapeutics的考尔担任，而曾就职于渤健的戴维·沃森担任首席运营官，曾就职于罗氏的弗洛里安·伊林格将领导这家初创公司的商业战略。

'With several exciting candidates in our pipeline, including our promising clinical candidate DT-101 for major depressive disorder, alongside the support of an exceptional investor syndicate and a world-class team, Draig has a great platform from which to make a positive impact on the treatment of neuropsychiatric disorders,' said Haeberlein..

“我们的产品线中有多个令人兴奋的候选药物，包括针对重度抑郁症的前景广阔的临床候选药物DT-101，同时在卓越的投资者财团和世界级团队的支持下，Draig拥有一个能够对神经精神疾病的治疗产生积极影响的强大平台，” Haeberlein表示。