Helicon Therapeutics, Inc. is a pioneer in the development of therapies for memory-related diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases. Helicon, based in Farmingdale, New York, was originally formed in 1997 as a joint venture between OSI Pharmaceuticals of Uniondale, New York, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Cold Spring Harbor, New York, and Hoffman LaRoche of Basel, Switzerland.
Helicon has developed technologies that identify genes involved in memory formation, and is involved in the evaluation and development of drugs that influence those genes that enhance memory and cognitive function.
Helicon and CREB
What is CREB and why is it important?
CREB = cAMP Response Element Binding Protein
Cellular controller of gene function
Through seminal studies of learning and memory in fruit flies, function of CREB was defined for first time
CREB regulates the signaling pathway that enables long-term memory formation both in flies and in all mammals, including humans
Subsequent functional genomic studies identified numerous additional genes that control different and parallel memory pathways
Helicon is creating these drugs for use in memory disorders