Cerecor Announces $1.0 Million Research & Development Grant from the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) at the National Institutes of Health

Cerecor Inc. (NASDAQ:CERC), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing treatments to make a difference in the lives of patients with neurological and psychiatric disorders, today announced that it has been awarded a grant from the National Institute on Drug Abuse (“NIDA”) at the National Institutes of Health. The grant of approximately $1.0 million provides Cerecor with additional resources for the ongoing Phase 2 clinical trial for CERC-501, “A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled, Crossover Design Study of CERC-501 in a Human Laboratory Model of Smoking Behavior.”
According to the news:

KORs are believed to play key roles in modulating stress, mood and addictive behaviors. Both KORs and dynorphin, which together comprise the kappa opioid system, are upregulated by stress and chronic exposure to drugs of abuse, and are thought to mediate the negative emotional states seen in drug withdrawal and contribute to stress-induced reinstatement of drug seeking behavior.

According toRonald Marcus, M.D., Chief Medical Officer and Head of Regulatory Affairs of Cerecor:

CERC-501 is a potent and selective kappa opioid receptor (“KOR”) antagonist. “We are enthusiastic about the potential use of CERC-501 for smoking cessation as well as other addictive disorders,” said .

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