Neuro-SysMed Seminar – Svein Isungset Støve

Speaker: Svein Isungset Støve, Department of Biomedicine, University of Bergen, Neuro-SysMed, Department of Neurology, Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, and the K.G. Jebsen Center for Translational Research in Parkinson’s Disease, University of Bergen.

Topic: Screening for activity modulators of targets relevant for Parkinson’s disease and hyperkinetic movement disorders

Place: The auditorium in Armauer Hansens Hus (campus Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen)

Time: Wednesday May 15, 2024, at 11:30–13:00 (lunch 11:30–12:00).

Registration: please use this link.

Abstract: Parkinson’s disease (PD) is the second most common neurodegenerative disorder and is characterized by loss of dopamine signaling and degeneration of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra. To this day, there are no available treatment options that can delay or stop disease progression, and there is an urgent need for identification of new drugs that can be clinically tested for a symptomatic or disease modifying effect. 

In this talk I will present work from screening projects on two different targets, the Vesicular Monoamine Transporter 2, and Mitochondrial Complex I. The vesicular monoamine transporter 2 (VMAT2) is a member of the SLC18 family of transporters and responsible for the uptake of monoamine neurotransmitters such as dopamine, serotonin, histamine, epinephrine, and norepinephrine into synaptic vesicles for subsequent release upon neurotransmission. Due to the central role of VMAT2 in monoamine signaling, it is an interesting potential drug target of disorders such as Parkinson’s disease (activators) or for the treatment of hyperkinetic movement disorders (inhibitors). We have screened VMAT2 for small molecule modulators of substrate transport and identified several new inhibitors of VMAT2. These inhibitors are previously approved drugs that are promising candidates for a future use in treatment of hyperkinetic movement disorders such as tardive dyskinesia. 

Further, we have initiated a project aimed at identifying molecular chaperones or functional activators of mitochondrial complex I by cellular screening approaches. Such compounds could be used to reduce mitochondrial complex I dysfunction and have a potential future use in treatment of Parkinson’s disease. In addition to results from the screening projects described above, I will give an overview of different relevant screening approaches, what opportunities there are for initiating new screening projects in Bergen, and where we hope to be in the future. 

Langage: English