Sleep-Wake Disorders
Sleep-wake disorders involve uninterrupted issues in sleep cycles such as timing, slumber quality, total sleep duration, and significantly impacts body functions in the day. Protheragen aims to develop innovative and effective treatments and diagnostics to solve the sleep-wake disorders management problems. As a trusted member, we assure thorough and reliable support in all stages of the sleep-wake disorder therapeutic research.
Introduction to Sleep-Wake Disorders
Sleep-wake disorders are a specific group of sleep disorders recognized in medicine as interruptions in the quality, timing, or duration of sleep, which results in profound impairment in functioning in the hours spent awake and in the person's health. Sleep-wake disorders are broad and include insomnia, sleep apnea, central disorders of hypersomnolence, circadian rhythm sleep-wake disorders, and other parasomnias and sleep-related movement disorders. The occurrence of sleep disorders is age dependent, with people aged 30-50 years showing a 5% prevalence, and those over 50 an increased rate of 30%.
Fig.1 Visual representation depicting the pathophysiology of sleep disorder breathing (SDB)/obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and ischemic stroke. (Mohamed B, et al., 2024)
Pathogenesis of Sleep-Wake Disorders
Sleep-wake disorders stem from disruptions in the neural circuits and neurotransmitter systems responsible for regulating sleep and wakefulness. Such disorders may involve orexinergic deficits in narcolepsy, hyperarousal of monoaminergic pathways in insomnia, anatomical-neuromuscular dysfunction in sleep apnea, iron-dependent dopaminergic dysfunction in restless legs syndrome, and circadian rhythm disorders which involve misaligned clock genes in relation to environmental stimulus. Other factors such as genetic predisposition, neuroinflammation, and neurodegeneration can further modify the progression as well as the variability in clinical presentation of the disorders.
Fig.2 Mechanisms of sleep disorders caused by stroke. (Chen P, et al., 2024)
Therapeutic Development for Sleep-Wake Disorders
| Drug Name | Mechanism of Action | Targets | NCT Number | Research Phase |
| Tasimelteon | Selective agonist of melatonin MT1 and MT2 receptors; synchronizes circadian rhythms | MT1 and MT2 melatonin receptors | NCT04652882 | Approved |
| Lemborexant | Dual orexin receptor antagonist (DORA); inhibits wake-promoting orexin signaling by blocking OX1 and OX2 receptors | OX1 and OX2 receptors | NCT03001557 | Approved |
| Melatonin | Endogenous hormone activating MT1 (sleep initiation) and MT2 (phase-shifting) receptors; regulates circadian timing | MT1 and MT2 melatonin receptors | NCT00972075 | Approved |
Disclaimer: Protheragen focuses on providing preclinical research services. This table is for information exchange purposes only. This table is not a treatment plan recommendation. For guidance on treatment options, please visit a regular hospital.
Our Services
At Protheragen, we focus on preclinical research in sleep-wake disorders, providing comprehensive solutions from biomarker identification to development of CNS targeted therapeutics. Our expertise covers disease modeling, including patient-derived iPSCs, genetically engineered models, and advanced blood-brain barrier (BBB) models for evaluating drug penetration and neuroprotective efficacy. We provide partners with target validation, lead compound optimization, and comprehensive preclinical research services.
Therapeutic Development Services
By Mechanism of Action
Disease Model Development Services
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At Protheragen, we are committed to validating and optimizing therapies for sleep-wake disorders through comprehensive pharmacodynamics (PD), pharmacokinetics (PK) and toxicology research services to ensure their successful regulatory approval. If you are interested in our services, please feel free to contact us for more details and quotation information of related services.
References
- Mohamed B, Yarlagadda K, Self Z, et al. Obstructive sleep apnea and stroke: determining the mechanisms behind their association and treatment options[J]. Translational stroke research, 2024, 15(2): 239-332.
- Chen P, Wang W, Ban W, et al. Deciphering post-stroke sleep disorders: unveiling neurological mechanisms in the realm of brain science[J]. Brain Sciences, 2024, 14(4): 307.