Description: Rislenemdaz (also known as MK-065; CERC-301) is a novel, potent, orally bioavailable and selective antagonist of the N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor subunit 2B (GluN2B) with Ki and IC50 of 8.1 nM and 3.6 nM, respectively. It has the potential for the treatment of Parkinson's disease. In the preclinical pharmacological and pharmacokinetic study, CERC-301 demonstrated high-binding affinity (K i, 8.1 nmol L(-1)) specific to GluN2B with an IC 50 of 3.6 nmol L(-1) and no off-target activity. CERC-301 efficacy was demonstrated in the forced swim test with an efficacy dose (ED 50) of 0.3-0.7 mg kg(-1) (RO, 30-50%); increase in locomotor activity was observed at ED 50 of 2 mg kg(-1), corresponding to an RO of 75%. The predicted 50% RO concentration (Occ50) in humans was 400 nmol L(-1), similar to that predicted for rat, dog, and monkey (300, 200, and 400 nmol L(-1), respectively). Safety pharmacology and neurotoxicity studies raised no specific safety concerns. A first-in-human study in healthy males demonstrated a dose-proportional pharmacokinetic profile, with T max of ~1 h and t 1/2 of 12-17 h. Based on the preclinical and pharmacodynamic data, doses of ≥8 mg in humans are hypothesized to have an acceptable safety profile and result in clinically relevant peak plasma exposure.