The Scripps Research Institute was awarded a $4.5 million federal grant to study a possible drug to fight migraines, the La Jolla-based life sciences organization announced Thursday.
The funding from the National Institutes of Health will allow researchers to conduct pre-clinical studies of a compound that targets proteins involved with the body’s stress mechanisms.
If successful, the drug would treat stress-related migraines, and could be developed as a once-a-day pill that prevents migraine onset, rather than just relieving symptoms, according to TSRI professor Ed Roberts.
“Migraine is the world’s most common neurological disorder, and the number one trigger for migraine is stress,” said Roberts, who will direct the project with longtime colleague Hugh Rosen, another professor at the institute.
The University of Arizona is also involved in the project.
Roberts and Rosen previously teamed up to discover drug candidates for multiple sclerosis and ulcerative colitis, according to TSRI.
The funding, which could grow to $10 million, was awarded by the NIH’s National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke.
