Evidence map›Paper›PMID 38528988›Full record

ArticleAlzheimer's & dementia (New York, N. Y.)

Baricitinib and tofacitinib off-target profile, with a focus on Alzheimer's disease.

Maria L Faquetti, Laura Slappendel, Hélène Bigonne, Francesca Grisoni, Petra Schneider, Georg Aichinger, Gisbert Schneider, Shana J Sturla, Andrea M Burden

Open access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Alzheimer's & dementia (New York, N. Y.). The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 10 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
10citing papers in PubMed
4.0field-weighted citation impact, top 6% of its field
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

10 citing papers in PubMed, 11 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Article
  2. Review
  3. Neuroinflammation and Disease: Pathways and Opportunities.Annual review of pharmacology and toxicology · 2026
    Review
  4. Article
  5. Article
  6. Article
  7. Review
  8. Review
  9. Article
  10. Article
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

9 authors at 3 institutions in 3 countries.

Maria L FaquettiDepartment of Chemistry and Applied Biosciences Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences ETH Zurich Zurich Switzerland.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5990-3322
Laura SlappendelDepartment of Health Sciences and Technology Institute of Food, Nutrition and Health, ETH Zurich Zurich Switzerland.ORCID https://orcid.org/0009-0009-6917-0220
Hélène BigonneDepartment of Health Sciences and Technology Institute of Food, Nutrition and Health, ETH Zurich Zurich Switzerland.ORCID https://orcid.org/0009-0001-6584-8884
Francesca GrisoniDepartment of Biomedical Engineering Institute for Complex Molecular Systems Eindhoven University of Technology Eindhoven the Netherlands.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8552-6615
Petra SchneiderDepartment of Chemistry and Applied Biosciences Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences ETH Zurich Zurich Switzerland.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8296-6105
Georg AichingerDepartment of Health Sciences and Technology Institute of Food, Nutrition and Health, ETH Zurich Zurich Switzerland.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1691-7609
Gisbert SchneiderDepartment of Chemistry and Applied Biosciences Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences ETH Zurich Zurich Switzerland.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6706-1084
Shana J SturlaDepartment of Health Sciences and Technology Institute of Food, Nutrition and Health, ETH Zurich Zurich Switzerland.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6808-5950
Andrea M BurdenDepartment of Chemistry and Applied Biosciences Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences ETH Zurich Zurich Switzerland.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7082-8530
ETH Zurich · CHUniversity of Applied Sciences Utrecht · NLZurich Insurance Group (Switzerland) · CH

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

introductionJanus kinase (JAK) inhibitors were recently identified as promising drug candidates for repurposing in Alzheimer's disease (AD) due to their capacity to suppress inflammation via modulation of JAK/STAT signaling pathways. Besides interaction with primary therapeutic targets, JAK inhibitor drugs frequently interact with unintended, often unknown, biological off-targets, leading to associated effects. Nevertheless, the relevance of JAK inhibitors' off-target interactions in the context of AD remains unclear.

methodsPutative off-targets of baricitinib and tofacitinib were predicted using a machine learning (ML) approach. After screening scientific literature, off-targets were filtered based on their relevance to AD. Targets that had not been previously identified as off-targets of baricitinib or tofacitinib were subsequently tested using biochemical or cell-based assays. From those, active concentrations were compared to bioavailable concentrations in the brain predicted by physiologically based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) modeling.

resultsWith the aid of ML and in vitro activity assays, we identified two enzymes previously unknown to be inhibited by baricitinib, namely casein kinase 2 subunit alpha 2 (CK2-α2) and dual leucine zipper kinase (MAP3K12), both with binding constant (

conclusionIn this study, we extended the list of baricitinib off-targets that are potentially relevant for AD progression and predicted drug distribution in the brain. The results suggest a low likelihood of successful repurposing in AD due to low brain permeability, even at the maximum recommended daily dose. While additional research is needed to evaluate the potential impact of the off-target interaction on AD, the combined approach of ML-based target prediction, in vitro confirmation, and PBPK modeling may help prioritize drugs with a high likelihood of being effectively repurposed for AD. Highlights: This study explored JAK inhibitors' off-targets in AD using a multidisciplinary approach.We combined machine learning, in vitro tests, and PBPK modelling to predict and validate new off-target interactions of tofacitinib and baricitinib in AD.Previously unknown inhibition of two enzymes (CK2-a2 and MAP3K12) by baricitinib were confirmed using in vitro experiments.Our PBPK model indicates that baricitinib low brain permeability limits AD repurposing.The proposed multidisciplinary approach optimizes drug repurposing efforts in AD research.

Indexed as

Alzheimer's diseaseJanus kinase inhibitorsmachine learningoff‐targetphysiological based pharmacokinetic modelingtarget prediction

Identifiers

PMID38528988
PMCPMC10962475
OpenAlexW4391280584

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY-NC
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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 OpenQuestion graph.