There are 9m drug-treated depression patients in the US. Only one-third respond adequately to first-line antidepressant (e.g. Prozac). Next-line antidepressants are limited by, modest efficacy, poor safety, and/or, high burden for the patient. Evecxia is developing an antidepressant, EVX-101, that will be used as add-on, augmentation treatment, on top of standard antidepressants. Data supports, that add-on EVX-101 will (i) treat patients not responding adequately to first-line antidepressants alone, (ii) be safer and more effective than existing next-line therapies, and (iii) be suitable for general clinical practice. Thus, EVX-101 is poised to improve the lives of millions of patients, for whom today no good treatment exists.

Clinical grant collaboration to determine key pharmacodynamics parameters for putative novel antidepressant compound, with the long-term aim of producing a drug candidate for human clinical trials.

I researched a novel antidepressant augmentation concept. I worked towards translating this research, from idea and animal data, into an FDA-approved drug.

NeuroSearch was a Danish CNS focused biotech. At NeuroSearch my main charge was to drive the characterization of a SK3 channel conditional knock-out mouse line. The aim of the project was to inform about the drug-target potential of SK3 in mouse behavioral/neurochemical models, potential detrimental consequences of SK3 modulation and the mechanism of action of tool compounds. All three aims were met.Additionally, I executed several smaller experiments, including: - I evaluated whether a tool compound could ameliorate ataxia in the Tottering mouse model of cerebellar dystonias (clear outcome:no effect even at highest tolerated dose). - I executed an exploratory research activity dealing with SSRI action augmentation that lead to a patent application and a R&D project at NeuroSearch.

Pursued research into the interplay between kappa opioids, drug-abuse and stress.

Following graduating with my industrial PhD, I stayed on at Lundbeck for half a year at Lundbeck. Main charges were to set-up mouse microdialysis and to establish a HPLC-UV assay for chiral separation of the amino acid serine. Both goals were met. Using these technologies, I evaluated the D-serine releasing properties of a couple of tool compounds, producing conclusive data. Further, I protocolized and succesfully transferred the technologies to the department staff.