Approximately 19 million Americans are affected by depression, with 2.5 million more diagnosed annually, at a cost to society in the range of $40 billion annually. Though millions of Americans now take anti-depressants, these drugs form a fairly narrow functional class, causing a portion of depressed patients to be refractive to these present therapies. Due to the length of time a patient must take antidepressants prior to amelioration of symptoms, and due to their known side effects, patients may become non-compliant.

Neuronascent is developing therapeutics aimed at intervening at the level of stress-induced reduction in neurogenesis in patients with depression. These therapeutics could provide an exciting new class of drugs that complements those already on the market for non-compliant and refractive patients. Our program for depression is in the lead optimization phase of development.

For more information on depression, please visit the International Foundation for Research and Education on Depression at www.ifred.org.