2025 Volume 42 Issue 1 Pages 33-37
Research and development for diseases in the field of neurology have dramatically advanced over the past two decades. This owes to the identification of disease causes through advances in genome research, the development of imaging and body fluid biomarkers, the enhancement of academia–led research such as physician–led clinical trials and registries, and the development of new modalities of therapeutic agents such as nucleic acid medicine and antibody therapy. In particular, genomics and biomarkers are undergoing extremely rapid technological innovation and are expected to be further utilized for diagnosis and prognosis prediction of diseases, and for stratification in clinical trials. Biotechnologies such as cell therapy, genome editing, and CAR–T, as well as bioengineering technologies such as robotics and brain–computer interfaces, are also being applied to neurological diseases. Further innovations are expected to emerge in the future, such as the integration of different modalities and the combination of pharmaceuticals and medical devices. The Japanese Society of Neurological Therapeutics established the Drug Discovery Working Group in 2020 with the aim of stimulating the development of treatments for neurological diseases, and in 2022, this working group became the Drug Discovery Promotion Committee, which has been promoting projects including the support for clinical trial execution, initiation of a consultation service for clinical research, and holding symposium. This article introduces the activities of the Drug Discovery Promotion Committee and explains the current status and prospects of drug discovery in the field of neurology, which is the background of the committee's activities.
