AI Drug Discovery for Pharma and Biotech

Drug discovery

1

drug

With orphan designation

Overview

Corticobasal syndrome (CBS) is a rare, progressive neurodegenerative disorder characterized by asymmetric parkinsonism, apraxia, dystonia, cortical sensory loss, and cognitive-behavioral deficits. It arises from diverse pathologies, including corticobasal degeneration, Alzheimer’s disease, and tauopathies. Diagnosis relies on clinical evaluation and neuroimaging showing asymmetric frontoparietal atrophy. Symptoms progress to severe disability, with survival averaging 6–8 years [9][14][19].

Key Clinical Insights

Population

  • Prevalence: 0.86–7.3 cases per 100,000, with onset typically between ages 50–70 [4][5][14].

  • No sex predominance, though some studies suggest slight female bias [2][14].

  • Most cases are sporadic, but genetic links (GRN, MAPT, C9orf72) account for ~25% of cases [2][12].

Burden

  • Rapid progression: Median survival 7 years, with motor disability, falls, dysphagia, and aspiration pneumonia as major morbidities [9][19].

  • Caregiver strain: High due to functional dependence and behavioral changes [10][13].

  • Economic impact: Requires multidisciplinary care, rehabilitation, and palliative services [3][18].

Early multidisciplinary intervention and realistic treatment goals are critical to optimizing quality of life.

Therapies

  • Motor symptoms: Levodopa (limited efficacy) [1][3], botulinum toxin for dystonia [8][18], clonazepam/levetiracetam for myoclonus [1][8].

  • Cognitive/behavioral: SSRIs for depression [1][3], atypical antipsychotics for agitation (use cautiously) [1][3].

  • Non-pharmacologic: Physical, occupational, and speech therapy to manage functional decline [3][6][18].

Categories: rare genetic diseases, rare neurological diseases

Research Papers

178 drug discovery papers related to Corticobasal syndrome, with 4 first-in-class and 3 next-in-class early-stage therapies forecasted to outperform the average preclinical success rate. Recent publications:

178 drug discovery papers related to Corticobasal syndrome, with 4 first-in-class and 3 next-in-class early-stage therapies forecasted to outperform the average preclinical success rate. Recent publications:

2026-04-04 | Sex differences for clinical presentations and co-pathologies in four-repeat tauopathies.

Four-repeat (4R)-tauopathies cause variable clinical profiles leading to clinical misdiagnosis. While sex differences are reported in Alzheimer's disease (AD), Lewy body disease (LBD), and clinically-defined frontotemporal dementia (FTD), little is known in 4R-tauopathies. National Alzheimer's Coordinating Center data were used for pathologically-defined 4R-tauopathies: progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP, n = 175), corticobasal degeneration (CBD, n = 114), argyrophilic grain disease (AGD, n = 230), Other-4R (n = 67). Sex differences for clinical presentation and co-pathologies were assessed adjusting for age and multiple comparisons. Most common clinical diagnosis was PSP (41%) for PSP; unspecified FTD (36%) for CBD; AD for AGD (57%) and Other-4R groups (48%), without sex differences. Females had less cognitive decline, apathy, motor symptoms; were older at cognitive, behavioral change onset. Males were more likely to demonstrate LBD co-pathology and clinical profile. Both females and males have low clinical diagnostic accuracy for 4R-tauopathies. Females with 4R-tauopathies may experience less severe clinical presentations and less co-pathology.

Open article ↗



2026-04-01 | Amyloid PET-guided anti-amyloid therapy in corticobasal syndrome associated with clinical improvement.

Corticobasal syndrome (CBS), a heterogeneous clinical phenotype, can be associated with various underlying pathologies. Although neuropathological studies show that CBS cases can be attributed to Alzheimer's disease (AD), in vivo confirmation and subsequent disease-modifying therapy remain rarely reported. In our patients presenting with clinical features consistent with CBS, amyloid positron emission tomography (PET) facilitated the diagnosis of underlying AD pathology and enabled the initiation of anti-amyloid therapy. We retrospectively reviewed patients with probable corticobasal degeneration from two tertiary centers who underwent amyloid PET confirming AD, systematically collecting clinical, imaging, and treatment data. Two patients were identified who fulfilled the inclusion criteria. In both patients, episodic memory was impaired, which was inconsistent with a typical corticobasal syndrome phenotype. Amyloid PET demonstrated widespread cortical and subcortical amyloid deposition, confirming underlying AD pathology. Based on these findings, anti-amyloid therapy was initiated, and clinical improvement was observed in both patients, although causality cannot be inferred from this uncontrolled retrospective observation. Corticobasal syndrome may be an atypical clinical presentation of AD pathology. Importantly, molecular imaging allowed an in vivo diagnosis of AD and facilitated the timely initiation of anti-amyloid therapy. This novel report documents the clinical implementation of amyloid PET guided anti-amyloid therapy in patients presenting with CBS.

Open article ↗



2026-02-22 | CSF tau levels in PSP and CBS

Anonymized dataset containing demographics, clinical characteristics, and cerebrospinal fluid tau protein concentrations from patients with progressive supranuclear palsy and corticobasal syndrome evaluated by movement disorders neurologists at the University of Cincinnati from 2013 through August 2025. The dataset follows the standardized variable names and formatting used by the U.S. National Institutes of Health/National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke Common Data Elements (https://www.commondataelements.ninds.nih.gov) and the Movement Disorder Society (https://movementdisorders.org).

Open article ↗



2026-04-04 | Sex differences for clinical presentations and co-pathologies in four-repeat tauopathies.

Four-repeat (4R)-tauopathies cause variable clinical profiles leading to clinical misdiagnosis. While sex differences are reported in Alzheimer's disease (AD), Lewy body disease (LBD), and clinically-defined frontotemporal dementia (FTD), little is known in 4R-tauopathies. National Alzheimer's Coordinating Center data were used for pathologically-defined 4R-tauopathies: progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP, n = 175), corticobasal degeneration (CBD, n = 114), argyrophilic grain disease (AGD, n = 230), Other-4R (n = 67). Sex differences for clinical presentation and co-pathologies were assessed adjusting for age and multiple comparisons. Most common clinical diagnosis was PSP (41%) for PSP; unspecified FTD (36%) for CBD; AD for AGD (57%) and Other-4R groups (48%), without sex differences. Females had less cognitive decline, apathy, motor symptoms; were older at cognitive, behavioral change onset. Males were more likely to demonstrate LBD co-pathology and clinical profile. Both females and males have low clinical diagnostic accuracy for 4R-tauopathies. Females with 4R-tauopathies may experience less severe clinical presentations and less co-pathology.

Open article ↗



2026-04-01 | Amyloid PET-guided anti-amyloid therapy in corticobasal syndrome associated with clinical improvement.

Corticobasal syndrome (CBS), a heterogeneous clinical phenotype, can be associated with various underlying pathologies. Although neuropathological studies show that CBS cases can be attributed to Alzheimer's disease (AD), in vivo confirmation and subsequent disease-modifying therapy remain rarely reported. In our patients presenting with clinical features consistent with CBS, amyloid positron emission tomography (PET) facilitated the diagnosis of underlying AD pathology and enabled the initiation of anti-amyloid therapy. We retrospectively reviewed patients with probable corticobasal degeneration from two tertiary centers who underwent amyloid PET confirming AD, systematically collecting clinical, imaging, and treatment data. Two patients were identified who fulfilled the inclusion criteria. In both patients, episodic memory was impaired, which was inconsistent with a typical corticobasal syndrome phenotype. Amyloid PET demonstrated widespread cortical and subcortical amyloid deposition, confirming underlying AD pathology. Based on these findings, anti-amyloid therapy was initiated, and clinical improvement was observed in both patients, although causality cannot be inferred from this uncontrolled retrospective observation. Corticobasal syndrome may be an atypical clinical presentation of AD pathology. Importantly, molecular imaging allowed an in vivo diagnosis of AD and facilitated the timely initiation of anti-amyloid therapy. This novel report documents the clinical implementation of amyloid PET guided anti-amyloid therapy in patients presenting with CBS.

Open article ↗



2026-02-22 | CSF tau levels in PSP and CBS

Anonymized dataset containing demographics, clinical characteristics, and cerebrospinal fluid tau protein concentrations from patients with progressive supranuclear palsy and corticobasal syndrome evaluated by movement disorders neurologists at the University of Cincinnati from 2013 through August 2025. The dataset follows the standardized variable names and formatting used by the U.S. National Institutes of Health/National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke Common Data Elements (https://www.commondataelements.ninds.nih.gov) and the Movement Disorder Society (https://movementdisorders.org).

Open article ↗



Access all drug discovery articles and probability of success in trials forecasts:

Access all drug discovery articles and probability of success in trials forecasts:

Drug Discovery Landscape

1 orphan drug designation for Corticobasal syndrome.

1 orphan drug designation for Corticobasal syndrome.

Drug

Therapy type

Regulator

Orphan designation

Approval

Sponsor

Fasudil hydrochloride

small molecules

FDA

2021-01-07

Woolsey Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

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New York, USA.

At Explority, we build first-of-its-kind AI to bring clarity to the earliest and riskiest stages of pharmaceutical research by forecasting which therapies are most likely to succeed. Explority AI web and mobile applications are properties of the Explority AI Inc., a company registered in the United States (File No. 10320493).
For all questions: support@explority.ai

Copyright © 2026 Explority AI Inc.

Explority AI logo

228 Park Ave S,
New York, USA.

At Explority, we build first-of-its-kind AI to bring clarity to the earliest and riskiest stages of pharmaceutical research by forecasting which therapies are most likely to succeed. Explority AI web and mobile applications are properties of the Explority AI Inc., a company registered in the United States (File No. 10320493).
For all questions: support@explority.ai

Copyright © 2026 Explority AI Inc.

Explority AI logo

228 Park Ave S,
New York, USA.

At Explority, we build first-of-its-kind AI to bring clarity to the earliest and riskiest stages of pharmaceutical research by forecasting which therapies are most likely to succeed. Explority AI web and mobile applications are properties of the Explority AI Inc., a company registered in the United States (File No. 10320493).
For all questions: support@explority.ai

Copyright © 2026 Explority AI Inc.