“Currently about 70 percent of patients with major depressive disorder do not respond to first-line SSRIs. Patients living with neuropsychiatric disorders deserve safe and precise treatments that help them live their best lives. I joined Draig because, to me, this work is also personal - I have seen the toll that untreated mental health conditions have taken on my own friends and family.”
Our patients
Inspired by You. Driven by Science.
Draig is the Welsh word for dragon, a symbol of strength. We are inspired by the people and communities we serve every day.
Our goal is to improve brain health by developing new treatments that help people live their best lives.
Understanding Major Depressive Disorder
Mental health conditions are common and can affect anyone at any stage of life. Severe symptoms such as lack of energy and hopelessness that develop in multiple areas of a person's life along with persistent sadness over at least two weeks, could be a condition known as major depressive disorder (MDD).
About one in eight people globally are affected by MDD and for many, current treatments do not provide enough relief. We believe those living with MDD need better treatment options.
Living with MDD
If you or someone close to you is living with MDD, you are not alone. MDD, which is also sometimes referred to as depression or clinical depression, is one of the most common mental health conditions. It can affect every part of daily life including:
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How you feel emotionally
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How you think and focus
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How you sleep
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How you connect with others
The Need for New Treatments
Even though MDD is common, no two people experience MDD in the same way. MDD is a complex disorder and while treatments are available, they do not work the same for everybody.
About two out of three people living with MDD continue to experience symptoms while on treatment. This is why continued research and new approaches are so important.
About Draig's Research
Depression and other mental health conditions are complex, and multiple factors may contribute to how they develop. One area of research focuses on how signals in the brain are regulated. The brain uses chemical messengers, including glutamate and GABA, to help control communication between nerve cells by acting on specific receptors:
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Glutamate is involved in activating brain signals by acting on the AMPA receptors
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GABA helps regulate and calm these signals by acting on the GABAA receptors
Together, they contribute to maintaining balance in brain activity. Disruptions in this balance are being studied as a potential factor in MDD. Draig's research focuses on developing investigational treatments that may help restore this balance more precisely and safely.
Our Pipeline
Draig is developing investigational treatments - DT-101, DT-201 and DT-301 - that have not been approved for use and are being evaluated for safety and effectiveness in clinical trials.
Our Clinical Trials
Clinical trials are research studies that evaluate investigational treatments. Participation is voluntary, and studies are conducted under strict guidelines to help ensure participant safety.
If you are interested in learning more about clinical trials, you can explore available studies and discuss options with your healthcare provider.
Our Commitment
At Draig Therapeutics, our work is driven by people committed to improving mental health.
“Throughout my career, the possibility of developing medicines that could meaningfully improve patients’ lives has been a motivating force, even when progress has proved difficult and others have been deterred. The decades I spent in major pharmaceutical companies, biotechnology, academia, and helping to build the Medicines Discovery Institute at Cardiff University, convinced me that many of the critical insights needed to develop fundamentally better treatments for neuropsychiatric disorders already existed. However, to develop the precise tools and approaches that would help us finally realise that potential, we must first learn from earlier limitations and setbacks. Draig builds on decades of prior learning with new precision approaches, translating deep neuroscience into medicines that could meaningfully improve the lives of patients in urgent need of more effective solutions.”
"I've seen firsthand the toll MDD can take on a person's life and the limitations of existing treatment approaches. I am deeply committed to Draig's work, not only as a doctor but also as a family member of someone living with MDD."
The Future of Brain Health Starts Here
Whether you're a patient, caregiver, researcher, investor, or member of the press, we'd love to hear from you.
