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Born | 1965 (age 58–59) Big Timber, Montana, U.S. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Lindsay H. Burns (born 1965) is an American neuroscientist and rower who won a silver medal at the 1996 Summer Olympics. [1] She was a senior vice president of the pharmaceutical company Cassava Sciences [2] until July 2024 and married to its CEO Remi Barbier.
As of July 2022, Cassava Sciences and papers co-authored by Burns were under investigation; [3] [4] co-author Hoau-Yan Wang was indicted for fraud in 2024 and Cassava denies any wrongdoing. [5] Burns and Barbier (president and chief executive officer of Cassava) [6] [7] [8] [9] abruptly resigned in 2024 following Wang's indictment. [10] [11]
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) filed charges in September 2024 against Cassava, Barbier, Burns and Wang with allegations including violations of "antifraud provisions of the federal securities laws" and "reporting provisions of the federal securities laws". The parties did not admit wrongdoing, but a settlement of the SEC charges, pending court approval, would fine Cassava $US40 million, Barbier $175,000, Burns $85,000 and Wang $50,000. [12] [13]
Burns was born in 1965 [14] and raised in Big Timber, Montana. [15] She graduated from Harvard University in 1987. [15] In 1991, she obtained a PhD in neuroscience from University of Cambridge [15] on a thesis titled Functional interactions of limbic afferents to the striatum and mesolimbic dopamine in reward-related processes, [16] which was supervised by Barry Everitt and Trevor Robbins. [17] [18]
Burns worked as a research fellow in psychobiology at McLean Hospital in Belmont, Massachusetts. [15] She joined Cassava Sciences in 2002 and became senior vice president of neuroscience in 2021. [19]
Burns is married to Remi Barbier, the former CEO [10] [11] and founder of Cassava Sciences. [9] [7] [20]
Burns started competitive rowing soon after entering Harvard. [15] In 1987, she rowed in the Radcliffe varsity crew and won the Eastern Association of Women's Rowing Colleges (EAWRC) championship that awarded her the Ivy title and the EAWRC League title. [9] She was part of the US rowing team from 1987 and from 1990 to 1996. Competing in the lightweight category at six World Rowing Championships, she won four medals: gold at the 1987; silvers in the double in 1990 and 1991; and bronze in the double in 1994. She won a silver medal at the 1995 Pan American Games competing in the quad sculls (heavyweight) category [1] and she won the European Rowing Championships at Lucerne in 1995 with Teresa Bell. [21] She was an alternate rower at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, Spain.[ citation needed ]
She teamed up again with Teresa Bell at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, United States, and won a silver medal in the Lightweight Double Sculls. [1] In 2006, she was inducted into the Harvard Sports Hall of Fame. [9] In 2016, she was inducted into the National Rowing Foundation Hall of Fame. [22]
This article may rely excessively on sources too closely associated with the subject , potentially preventing the article from being verifiable and neutral.(August 2022) |
Burns's first research was on the effect of neurokinin A on brain functions in rats. Her first paper in 1988, written with Ann E. Kelley, reported that neurokinin A in the ventral tegmental area modifies dopamine circuits to induce behavioral changes. [23] She continued her PhD research on the role of dopamine and the limbic system. [17] [18] [16] [24] [25] During her post-doc at McLean Hospital, she focused on neurodegenerative diseases, specifically, transplantation of pig neural cells into rat brain as a possible treatment of Parkinson's or Huntington's disease. [26] Further research indicated possible use in humans. [27] While working for a biotech company later acquired by Elan Pharmaceuticals, she published the effects of ziconotide in a rat model of spinal cord ischemia. [28]
In 2005, she published a series of papers on Oxytrex and related research with ultra-low doses of certain (opioid antagonists) to enhance analgesia and prevent opioid-induced hyperalgesia, opioid tolerance and substance dependence. [29] [30] [31] [32]
Since 2006, Burns collaborated with Hoau-Yan Wang at the City University of New York, [33] who had been investigating Alzheimer's disease. Burns and Wang wrote that FLNA was a critical protein in enabling Abeta42's signaling through the alpha 7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor to induce Alzheimer's disease pathology (the publication has an expression of concern). [34] [35] [36]
In 2008, Burns, Wang and Maya Frankfurt published in PLOS One a (later retracted) finding that the opioid antagonists naloxone and naltrexone bind with ultra-high affinity to FLNA to prevent mu opioid receptor excitatory signaling. [37] Burns and Wang published (now retracted) the binding site on FLNA and the activation of CREB by opioid receptor – Gs coupling in the same journal the next year. [38] FLNA is a cytoplasmic protein that maintains normal cell shape and division. In 2010, Burns and Wang announced a novel analgesic" which they named PTI-609 (PTI for Pain Therapeutics, Inc., the former name of Cassava Sciences) and stated that the molecule binds to FLNA as well as activating mu opioid receptors. [39]
In 2012, they published in The Journal of Neuroscience (now with an expression of concern) a novel compound PTI-125 that binds to FLNA similarly to naloxone and naltrexone. [40] With PTI-125, they stated that FLNA aberrantly links to the alpha 7 nicotinic receptor, enabling signaling of Abeta42 to hyperphosphorylate tau. [35] [40]
In 2017, they stated in Neurobiology of Aging (now with an expression of concern) that the FLNA in Alzheimer's disease transgenic mice and human postmortem brain tissue has an altered conformation (based on a shift in isoelectric focusing) and that PTI-125 binding to altered FLNA restores its normal shape, thereby reducing tau hyperphosphorylation, amyloid deposits and tau-containing lesions in the brains of the mice. [41] [42] The United States Adopted Names (USAN) gave the drug name for PTI-125 as simufilam in 2020; [43] as of 2022, it is in Phase III clinical trials.
As of July 2022, Cassava Sciences and papers published by Burns and Wang were under investigation by the DOJ; Cassava denies any wrongdoing. [44] [45] [46] The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH), and City University of New York (CUNY) were also investigating allegations of manipulated data. [46] According to The Wall Street Journal, the CUNY report stated that Burns shared with Wang some responsibility "for errors and misconduct". [47] [48] In June 2024, Wang was indicted by the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) for fraud and charged with falsifying data on $16 million in grant applications to the NIH related to the Alzheimer's drug in development, simufilam. [5] [49] [50] [51]
In September, the SEC charged Cassava, Barbier and Burns for "misleading statements ... made in September 2020 about the results of a phase two clinical trial for Cassava's purported drug treatment for Alzheimer's", and charged Wang for "manipulating the trial results". [12] [52] [53] According to Reuters, the company "failed to disclose that a full set of patient data actually showed 'no measurable cognitive improvement in the patients' episodic memory'." [12] The charges filed in the United States District Court for the Western District of Texas alleged that Cassava violated "antifraud provisions of the federal securities laws" and "reporting provisions of the federal securities laws" and the SEC stated in a press release that "without admitting or denying the allegations, Cassava, Barbier, and Burns ... agreed to pay civil penalties of $40 million, $175,000, and $85,000, respectively. Barbier and Burns agreed to be subject to officer-and-director bars of three and five years, respectively." [52] [12] [13] The settlement must be approved by the U.S. District Court. [13] According to Science journal's Piller, the SEC charged that Burns "'negligently failed to fully disclose' that she had removed data from 40% of the volunteers in a phase 2 simufilam clinical trial after learning which ones received simufilam or the placebo." [13]
Naltrexone, sold under the brand name Revia among others, is a medication primarily used to manage alcohol use or opioid use disorder by reducing cravings and feelings of euphoria associated with substance use disorder. It has also been found effective in the treatment of other addictions and may be used for them off-label. An opioid-dependent person should not receive naltrexone before detoxification. It is taken orally or by injection into a muscle. Effects begin within 30 minutes, though a decreased desire for opioids may take a few weeks to occur.
Huperzine A is a naturally-occurring sesquiterpene alkaloid compound found in the firmoss Huperzia serrata and in varying quantities in other food Huperzia species, including H. elmeri, H. carinat, and H. aqualupian. Huperzine A has been investigated as a treatment for neurological conditions such as Alzheimer's disease, but a 2013 meta-analysis of those studies concluded that they were of poor methodological quality and the findings should be interpreted with caution. Huperzine A inhibits the breakdown of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine (ACh) by the enzyme acetylcholinesterase. It is also an antagonist of the NMDA-receptor. It is commonly available over the counter as a nutritional supplement and marketed as a memory and concentration enhancer.
An opioid antagonist, or opioid receptor antagonist, is a receptor antagonist that acts on one or more of the opioid receptors.
Low-dose naltrexone (LDN) refers to daily naltrexone dosages that are roughly one-tenth of the standard opioid addiction treatment dosage. Most published research suggests a daily dosage of 4.5 mg, but this can vary by a few milligrams. Low-dose naltrexone has been studied for the treatment of multiple chronic pain disorders including fibromyalgia, multiple sclerosis, Crohn’s disease, and complex regional pain syndrome.
Nalmefene, sold under the brand name Revex among others, is a medication that is used in the treatment of opioid overdose and alcohol dependence. Nalmefene belongs to the class of opioid antagonists and can be taken by mouth, administered by injection, or delivered through nasal administration.
NMDA receptor antagonists are a class of drugs that work to antagonize, or inhibit the action of, the N-Methyl-D-aspartate receptor (NMDAR). They are commonly used as anesthetics for humans and animals; the state of anesthesia they induce is referred to as dissociative anesthesia.
The μ-opioid receptors (MOR) are a class of opioid receptors with a high affinity for enkephalins and beta-endorphin, but a low affinity for dynorphins. They are also referred to as μ(mu)-opioid peptide (MOP) receptors. The prototypical μ-opioid receptor agonist is morphine, the primary psychoactive alkaloid in opium and for which the receptor was named, with mu being the first letter of Morpheus, the compound's namesake in the original Greek. It is an inhibitory G-protein coupled receptor that activates the Gi alpha subunit, inhibiting adenylate cyclase activity, lowering cAMP levels.
Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4), also designated as CD284, is a key activator of the innate immune response and plays a central role in the fight against bacterial infections. TLR4 is a transmembrane protein of approximately 95 kDa that is encoded by the TLR4 gene.
Methylnaltrexone, used in form of methylnaltrexone bromide, is a medication that acts as a peripherally acting μ-opioid receptor antagonist that acts to reverse some of the side effects of opioid drugs such as constipation without significantly affecting pain relief or precipitating withdrawals. Because MNTX is a quaternary ammonium cation, it cannot cross the blood–brain barrier, and so has antagonist effects throughout the body, counteracting effects such as itching and constipation, but without affecting opioid effects in the brain such as pain relief. However, since a significant fraction of opioid analgesia can be mediated by opioid receptors on peripheral sensory neurons, particularly in inflammatory conditions such as arthritis, traumatic or surgical pain, MNTX may increase pain under such circumstances.
Filamin A, alpha (FLNA) is a protein that in humans is encoded by the FLNA gene.
7-Spiroindanyloxymorphone (SIOM) is a drug that is used in scientific research. It is a selective δ-opioid agonist. It is a derivative of oxymorphone.
An opioid overdose is toxicity due to excessive consumption of opioids, such as morphine, codeine, heroin, fentanyl, tramadol, and methadone. This preventable pathology can be fatal if it leads to respiratory depression, a lethal condition that can cause hypoxia from slow and shallow breathing. Other symptoms include small pupils and unconsciousness; however, its onset can depend on the method of ingestion, the dosage and individual risk factors. Although there were over 110,000 deaths in 2017 due to opioids, individuals who survived also faced adverse complications, including permanent brain damage.
Naltrexone/bupropion, sold under the brand name Contrave among others, is a fixed-dose combination medication for the management of chronic obesity in adults in combination with a reduced-calorie diet and increased physical activity. It contains naltrexone, an opioid antagonist, and bupropion, an aminoketone atypical antidepressant. It is taken by mouth. Both medications have individually shown some evidence of effectiveness in weight loss, and the combination has been shown to have some synergistic effects on weight.
(+)-Naloxone (dextro-naloxone) is a drug which is the opposite enantiomer of the opioid antagonist drug (−)-naloxone. Unlike (−)-naloxone, (+)-naloxone has no significant affinity for opioid receptors, but instead has been discovered to act as a selective antagonist of Toll-like receptor 4. This receptor is involved in immune system responses, and activation of TLR4 induces glial activation and release of inflammatory mediators such as TNF-α and Interleukin-1.
Samidorphan is an opioid antagonist that in the form of olanzapine/samidorphan is used in the treatment of schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. Samidorphan reduces the weight gain associated with olanzapine. Samidorphan is taken by mouth.
David S. Bredt is an American molecular neuroscientist.
6β-Naltrexol, or 6β-hydroxynaltrexone, is a peripherally-selective opioid receptor antagonist related to naltrexone. It is a major active metabolite of naltrexone formed by hepatic dihydrodiol dehydrogenase enzymes. With naltrexone therapy, 6β-naltrexol is present at approximately 10- to 30-fold higher concentrations than naltrexone at steady state due to extensive first-pass metabolism of naltrexone into 6β-naltrexol. In addition to being an active metabolite of naltrexone, 6β-naltrexol was itself studied for the treatment of opioid-induced constipation. It was found to be effective and well-tolerated, and did not precipitate opioid withdrawal symptoms or interfere with opioid pain relief, but development was not further pursued.
Nalodeine, also known more commonly as N-allylnorcodeine, is an opioid antagonist that was never marketed but is notable as the first opioid antagonist to be discovered. It was first reported in 1915 and was found to block the effects of morphine in animals. This was followed by the clinical introduction of nalorphine (N-allylnormorphine) in 1954, naloxone (N-allyloxymorphone) in 1960, and naltrexone (N-methylcyclopropyloxymorphone) in 1963. Nalmefene (6-desoxy-6-methylene-naltrexone), another structurally related opioid antagonist derivative, was also subsequently introduced, in 1996. In animals, nalodeine both reverses morphine- and heroin-induced respiratory depression and acts as a respiratory stimulant in its own right. Similarly to nalorphine, nalodeine has also been found to act as an agonist of the κ-opioid receptor.
Simufilam (PTI-125) is an experimental medication for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease. It is being developed by the American pharmaceutical firm Cassava Sciences. The drug is in phase III clinical trials as of October 2023. There are two phase III clinical studies: RETHINK-ALZ, a 52-week trial, is set to complete in 2024, and REFOCUS-ALZ, spanning 76 weeks, is projected to finish in 2025.
Cassava Sciences is an American pharmaceutical company based in Austin, Texas. The company was founded in 1998 by Remi Barbier as Pain Therapeutics, Inc., changing its name in 2019.