Prof. Nudelman’s Lab

Prof. (Emeritus) Abraham Nudelman, Founder of the Medicinal Chemistry Division at BIU’s Department of Chemistry, and Founding Director of the Bernard W. Marcus Center for Pharmaceutical and Medicinal Chemistry, has generated a rich pipeline of potential drugs to combat diseases such as cancer, schizophrenia, and inflammatory illnesses.

Having published more than 130 articles, mostly in areas of organic chemistry and drug development, Nudelman’s laboratory continues to discover and develop a variety of medicinal compounds as well as drug delivery systems and novel, efficient methods for synthesis of commercially available drugs.  Nudelman has 84 patents in his name, all in the field of drug research.

In collaboration with Prof. Marta Rosin at the Hebrew University, Prof. Nudelman is developing a family of neuroprotectant compounds that have shown promising anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant and cholinesterase inhibitory activities in initial in vitro studies. Currently, the group is proceeding with further development of the compounds for in vivo evaluation as anti-inflammatories, in particular for the use of the treatment of Crohn’s disease and colitis.

Nudelman, in collaboration with scientists from Tel Aviv University, invented a first in class antipsychotic that combines dopamine antagonism with GABA. This novel GABA ester of perphenazine labeled as AN-168, is a New Chemical Entity (NCE) that has shown significant anti-schizophrenic efficacy and improved cognition in clinical trials to date.

This drug candidate has completed Phase II clinical studies. Further development on this drug is taking place.

Another NCE developed by Nudelman in collaboration with scientists from Tel Aviv University is AN-228, a novel Nortriptyline-GABA conjugate with analgesic properties indicated for the treatment of neuropathic pain. Multiple pre-clinical in vitro and in vivo studies, and a completed Phase I human clinical study have demonstrated AN-228‘s anti-neuropathic pain profile, its efficacy and high tolerability.

Moreover, it was found to be more effective than currently used drugs for neuropathic pain in certain animal models without the noticeable side effects of sedation and cardiac arrhythmias, which often plague other anti pain compounds.

A novel family of anti-cancer agents developed by Nudelman in collaboration with Dr. Ada Rephaeli at Tel Aviv University is derived from known histone deacetylase inhibitory (HDACI) molecules linked to acyclovir. The new compounds have demonstrated potent anti-cancer activity both in vitro and in vivo and were well tolerated in initial safety studies.

A second family of drugs, which display promising activity for the treatment of superficial tumors, base of the Photodynamic Therapy technology, have been discovered and these compounds are being evaluated for cancer activity as well as potentially active agents for the treatment of anemias.

In collaboration with Prof. Ammie Hodak, head of dermatology at Beilinson Hospital and with Dr. Ada Rephaeli from Tel Aviv University, a potent histone deacetylase inhibitory agent labeled AN-7, is undergoing evaluation for the treatment of cutaneous t-cell lymphoma.

Other medicinal drugs being investigated by Nudelman’s team include novel compounds for photodynamic therapy. These compounds have been patented and are undergoing extensive studies for further development.