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Dr. Spyros Papapetropoulos is the President and CEO of Bionomics, a biotech company focused on central nervous system disorders, particularly social anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorders. Social anxiety is a disease primarily of adolescents and young adults, and the social isolation during COVID  contributed to a rise in the number of people experiencing this condition. The Bionomics drug in development is BNC210, a therapeutic that can be taken on schedule an hour before conducting an activity likely to induce anxiety. 

Spyros elaborates, "Social anxiety disorder is actually known as social phobia, and it's very different, because everyday interactions cause significant anxieties. And they're very situational, so you become very self-conscious. You feel embarrassed and have a fear of being scrutinized or judged negatively by others. It is considered a very, very important chronic mental health condition that, if left untreated, leads to comorbid depression, even suicidality, and addiction down the road."

"BNC210 acts on nicotinic receptors. These are receptors that are expressed or found in areas of the brain. The alpha-7 nicotinic receptors are found primarily in areas that control emotions, so in areas that are considered brain anxiety generators. I don't know how much your audience has heard about the amygdala, but the amygdala is considered one of the most important areas, also responsible for fight or flight, for instance. And it's an area of the brain that has received a lot of attention. So BNC210 binds to the alpha-7 receptors found in the amygdala and reduces the activity or the activation of the amygdala, which is abnormally high in anxiety-related disorders."

#Bionomics #SocialAnxietyDisorder #SocialPhobia #CNSDisorders #PTSD #COVID

 bionomics.com

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