Iclepertin (BI 425809) is an investigational nootropic to enhance the cognition and functional capacity in schizophrenia developed by

Boehringer Ingelheim C.H. Boehringer Sohn AG & Co. is the parent company of the Boehringer Ingelheim group, which was founded in 1885 by Albert Boehringer in Ingelheim am Rhein, Germany. As of 2018, Boehringer Ingelheim is one of the world's largest pharmaceutical ...

. As of May 2020, it is in phase III of clinical trial under the code name CONNEX-3. BI 425809 is an inhibitor of

glycine transporter 1 Sodium- and chloride-dependent glycine transporter 1, also known as glycine transporter 1, is a protein that in humans is encoded by the ''SLC6A9'' gene. Selective inhibitors Elevation of extracellular synaptic glycine concentration by blockade of ...

(Gly-T1) that in phase II improved cognition after 12 weeks in patients with schizophrenia. Doses of 10 mg and 25 mg showed the largest separation from placebo. If these encouraging results are confirmed in phase 3 trials, BI 425809 could provide an effective treatment for cognitive impairment associated with schizophrenia. Schizophrenia is characterized by abnormalities in glutamatergic pathways related to

NMDA receptor The ''N''-methyl-D-aspartate receptor (also known as the NMDA receptor or NMDAR), is a glutamate receptor and ion channel found in neurons. The NMDA receptor is one of three types of ionotropic glutamate receptors, the other two being AMPA rece ...

hypofunction. Inhibition of GlyT1 on the presynaptic membrane or astrocytes is hypothesized to increase glycine levels within the synapse. The NMDA receptor function may be enhanced by increasing levels of its co-agonist, glycine, within the synaptic cleft, which may lead to improvements in cognitive function.

References

Nootropics Schizophrenia Glycine reuptake inhibitors {{pharma-stub