Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42156967›Full record

ArticleCommunications chemistry2026

The rise and fall of SARM1 base-exchange inhibitors.

Thomas Lundbäck, Vijay Chandrasekar, Chendi Gu, Hyoungseok Ju, Robyn McAdam, Maria Palomero, Kasim Sader, Bradley Peter, Lisa Wissler, Philip Nevin and 26 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Communications chemistry, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
3citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

3 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Article
  3. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

36 authors.

Thomas LundbäckAssays, Profiling & Cell Sciences, Discovery Sciences, R&D, AstraZeneca, Gothenburg, Sweden. thomas.lundback@astrazeneca.com.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-8145-7808
Vijay ChandrasekarAssays, Profiling & Cell Sciences, Discovery Sciences, R&D, AstraZeneca, Gothenburg, Sweden.
Chendi GuAssays, Profiling & Cell Sciences, Discovery Sciences, R&D, AstraZeneca, Gothenburg, Sweden.
Hyoungseok JuNeuroscience, Biopharmaceuticals R&D, AstraZeneca, Cambridge, UK.
Robyn McAdamNeuroscience, Biopharmaceuticals R&D, AstraZeneca, Cambridge, UK.
Maria PalomeroNeuroscience, Biopharmaceuticals R&D, AstraZeneca, Cambridge, UK.
Kasim SaderProtein Sciences, Structural Biology, and Biophysics, Discovery Sciences, R&D, AstraZeneca, Cambridge, UK.
Bradley PeterProtein Sciences, Structural Biology, and Biophysics, Discovery Sciences, R&D, AstraZeneca, Gothenburg, Sweden.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-0885-3131
Lisa WisslerProtein Sciences, Structural Biology, and Biophysics, Discovery Sciences, R&D, AstraZeneca, Gothenburg, Sweden.
Philip NevinAssays, Profiling & Cell Sciences, Discovery Sciences, R&D, AstraZeneca, Gothenburg, Sweden.
Edmund FosterNeuroscience, Biopharmaceuticals R&D, AstraZeneca, Cambridge, UK.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-9284-3229
Tanguy JamierNeuroscience, Biopharmaceuticals R&D, AstraZeneca, Cambridge, UK.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-3014-3662
Pravallika ManjappaNeuroscience, Biopharmaceuticals R&D, AstraZeneca, Cambridge, UK.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-6753-8492
Carina JohanssonProtein Sciences, Structural Biology, and Biophysics, Discovery Sciences, R&D, AstraZeneca, Gothenburg, Sweden.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-3388-831X
Jenny SandmarkProtein Sciences, Structural Biology, and Biophysics, Discovery Sciences, R&D, AstraZeneca, Gothenburg, Sweden.
Mei DingAssays, Profiling & Cell Sciences, Discovery Sciences, R&D, AstraZeneca, Gothenburg, Sweden.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-8146-1535
Anette Persson-KryCentre for Genomics Research, Discovery Sciences, R&D, AstraZeneca, Gothenburg, Sweden.
Sanhita MitraCentre for Genomics Research, Discovery Sciences, R&D, AstraZeneca, Gothenburg, Sweden.
Tugce Munise SatirCentre for Genomics Research, Discovery Sciences, R&D, AstraZeneca, Gothenburg, Sweden.
Bilada BilicanCentre for Genomics Research, Discovery Sciences, R&D, AstraZeneca, Gothenburg, Sweden.
Mirko MessaCentre for Genomics Research, Discovery Sciences, R&D, AstraZeneca, Gothenburg, Sweden.
Graham FraserNeuroscience, Biopharmaceuticals R&D, AstraZeneca, Cambridge, UK.
John LinleyNeuroscience, Biopharmaceuticals R&D, AstraZeneca, Cambridge, UK.
Helen PlantHit Discovery, Discovery Sciences, R&D, AstraZeneca, Cambridge, UK.
Rachel MooreHit Discovery, Discovery Sciences, R&D, AstraZeneca, Cambridge, UK.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-2388-071X
Tina SeifertCompound Synthesis & Management, Discovery Sciences, R&D, AstraZeneca, Gothenburg, Sweden.
Michael LerchePharmaceutical Sciences, Biopharmaceuticals R&D, AstraZeneca, Gothenburg, Sweden.
Carina RaynochekProtein Sciences, Structural Biology, and Biophysics, Discovery Sciences, R&D, AstraZeneca, Gothenburg, Sweden.
Ewa NilssonProtein Sciences, Structural Biology, and Biophysics, Discovery Sciences, R&D, AstraZeneca, Gothenburg, Sweden.
Nour MajbourNeuroscience, Biopharmaceuticals R&D, AstraZeneca, Cambridge, UK.
Richard LuceySpatial & Quantitative Omics, Discovery Bioanalysis, Biopharmaceuticals R&D, AstraZeneca, Cambridge, UK.
Taiana Maia de OliveiraProtein Sciences, Structural Biology, and Biophysics, Discovery Sciences, R&D, AstraZeneca, Cambridge, UK.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-3231-8112
Qi WangNeuroscience, Biopharmaceuticals R&D, AstraZeneca, Boston, MA, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-5077-6304
Iain ChessellNeuroscience, Biopharmaceuticals R&D, AstraZeneca, Cambridge, UK.
Perla BrecciaNeuroscience, Biopharmaceuticals R&D, AstraZeneca, Cambridge, UK.
Rebecca JarvisNeuroscience, Biopharmaceuticals R&D, AstraZeneca, Cambridge, UK. rebecca.jarvis@astrazeneca.com.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-7583-6548

Funding

AstraZeneca Not applicable
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

The sterile alpha and TIR motif containing 1 (SARM1) enzyme is a key driver of axonal degeneration in response to injury, making it an attractive target for treating chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN) and other nervous system diseases. In this study, we identified and optimised a class of base-exchange inhibitors (BEXi) targeting human SARM1 and explored their molecular interactions and conformational effects using cryo-EM, HDX-MS and SAXS. Although BEXi produced robust inhibition across all biochemical and cellular assay formats, application at sub-inhibitory concentrations consistently led to paradoxical SARM1 activation, and in neuronal assays, accelerated neurite degeneration. Further analysis showed that BEXi only delayed, rather than prevented, neurite degeneration when applied to primary neuronal cells, even at exceedingly high inhibitor concentrations. These results prompted us to discontinue BEXi development in favour of alternative strategies, underscoring the complexity of SARM1 as a therapeutic target and the need for comprehensive, mechanistically informed screening cascades.

Identifiers

PMID42156967
PMCPMC13187307

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.