" Do you wake up feeling refreshed? "

If not, you're not alone.

Against the backdrop of an increasingly aging population,
many people are suffering from circadian rhythm disorders
caused by endocrine imbalances and high pressure.

According to sleep-related research,
melatonin is a therapeutic drug for sleep disorders
caused by circadian rhythm disorders.

However,

It is worth nothing excessive intake of melatonin may cause
some adverse effects, such as headache, dizziness and nausea,
due to non-specific activation of both MTNR1A and MTNR1B.

This condition occurs because MTNR1B are also involved in various
physiological activities such as neurological transmission,

Therefore,
it is crucial to develop a drug specifically
targeting the MTNR1A receptor for treating
sleep disorders caused by circadian
rhythm disorders.

Inspired by synthetic biology ideas,
an innovative molecule drug
screening system was designed in this study.

We named it Knight.

The platform is based on the HEK293
cell line and targets the MTNR1A receptor
to screen potential melatonin receptor
agonists by introducing an exogenous
melatonin signaling pathway.
It performed well in our experiments.

Further, we applied the platform to search for natural small
molecules capable of activating melatonin receptors
from widely recognized natural sources such as plant essential oils,
which may help in developing new drugs.

Our platform provides a solid foundation for developing therapeutic agents
targeting sleep disorders caused by rhythm disorders.

We hope that one day
sleep disorders will be totally solved
with the help of Knight,
providing a comfortable,
mild night for everyone.