Dr. Tejada is part of UT research team that uncovers potential antipsychotic treatment

Dr. Frederick R. Tejada, a postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Pharmacology at The University of Toledo recently published a paper in the Journal of Medicinal Chemistry describing the synthesis of small molecules that show promising antipsychotic activity. 

These compounds could be useful in the treatment of symptoms associated with schizophrenia, including hallucinations, delusions and cognitive deficits. 

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Dr. Tejada works in the laboratory of Dr. William S. Messer, Jr., Professor and Chair of Pharmacology.  The work was supported by research grants from the National Institutes of Health and by a contract from Cognitive Pharmaceuticals Ltd.

Dr. Messer’s research group is focused on the development of new compounds for the treatment of neurological disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease and schizophrenia.  He is one of the co-founders of Cognitive Pharmaceuticals, which discovers and develops new drug treatments for neurological and psychiatric disorders including Alzheimer’s disease and schizophrenia.

Patients with schizophrenia experience significantly impaired cognitive and memory function.  The identification of new treatments for the cognitive aspects of schizophrenia represents a high priority for the National Institutes of Health. 

Under the direction of Dr. Messer, Dr. Tejada and other medicinal chemists have developed a series of molecules known as muscarinic agonists, which enhance memory function in experimental animals.  Several of the compounds have been patented due to their potential utility in the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease and schizophrenia.