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The School of Medicine, Medical Sciences and Nutrition

Generation of an antidepressant - Valdoxan

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Generation of an antidepressant - Valdoxan

Aberdeen research is crucial for the development of the anti-depressant drug Valdoxan

Melatonin is a hormone found in humans that conveys night and day within our bodies. Original basic research at the Rowett Institute of Nutrition and Health helped in the identification and development of melatonin compounds for the treatment of disorders of the human body-clock, so called biorhythms. Importantly these determine when we sleep and when we are awake as well as making sure that our metabolism matches these cycles.

One of these compounds was identified as having positive effects for disrupted circadian rhythms and had beneficial outcomes for patients with depression. As a result of this research a pharmaceutical company launched a brand-new anti-depressant drug called Valdoxan®. Today Valdoxan® is an award winning anti-depressant drug and is the only anti-depressant drug to be brought to the market in the last 10 years.

The research undertaken at Aberdeen as part of a strategic alliance partnership with a large pharmaceutical company was instrumental to the development of Valdoxan®, which is currently making a difference to over 3 million patients receiving treatment with this drug

Professor Peter Morgan

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Key publications

  • Barrett P, Conway S, Jockers R, Strosberg AD, Guardiola-Lemaitre B, Delagrange P, Morgan PJ. (1997). Cloning and functional analysis of a polymorphic variant of the ovine Mel1a melatonin receptor. Biochemica et Biophysica Acta 1356:299-307.
  • Conway S, Canning SJ, Howell HE, Mowat ES, Barrett P, Drew JE, Delagrange P, Lesieur D, Morgan PJ(2000). Characterisation of human melatonin mt(1) and MT(2) receptors by CRE-luciferase reporter assay. Eur J Pharmacol 390:15-24.
  • Leclerc V, Fourmaintraux E, Depreux P, Lesieur D, Morgan P, Howell HE, Renard P, Caignard DH, Pfeiffer B, Delagrange P, Guardiola-Lemaitre B, Andrieux J (1998). Synthesis and structure-activity relationships of novel naphthalenic and bioisosteric related amidic derivatives as melatonin receptor ligands. Bioorg Med Chem 6:1875-1887.
  • Conway S, Canning SJ, Barrett P, Guardiola-Lemaitre B, Delagrange P, Morgan PJ (1997). The roles of valine 208 and histidine 211 in ligand binding and receptor function of the ovine Mel1a beta melatonin receptor. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 239:418-423.
  • Conway S, Mowat ES, Drew JE, Barrett P, Delagrange P, Morgan PJ (2001). Serine residues 110 and 114 are required for agonist binding but not antagonist binding to the melatonin MT(1) receptor. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 282:1229-1236.
  • Conway S, Drew JE, Mowat ES, Barrett P, Delagrange P, Morgan PJ (2000). Chimeric melatonin mt1 and melatonin-related receptors. Identification of domains and residues participating in ligand binding and receptor activation of the melatonin mt1 receptor. J Biol Chem 275:20602-20609.

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