Sleep research led to a new sleep apnea drug
A University of Toronto professor’s research on the physiology of sleep and breathing has paved the way for a new sleep apnea treatment that recently reported positive results in a phase 3 clinical trial.
Richard Horner is a professor of medicine and physiology at U of T’s Temerty Faculty of Medicine who studies the nerves, muscles and mechanisms that control breathing during sleep. His work over the past three decades has led to breakthrough discoveries about how we breathe while asleep and what happens when those processes malfunction, like in people with obstructive sleep apnea.
Now, a drug targeting the two pathways he and his team identified as key drivers of sleep apnea is one step closer to helping people with the condition improve their sleep, overall health and quality of life.
“Sleep apnea is the most common and most serious sleep problem,” says Horner.
According to a 2024 study in the Canadian Journal of Public Health , more than one in four Canadians are estimated to have obstructive sleep apnea, but less than 10 per cent of people with the chronic condition have a formal diagnosis. The condition is estimated to affect 1.6 billion adults globally .
Sleep apnea occurs when the muscles in the upper airway repeatedly collapse during sleep, leading to frequent breathing interruptions. In the long-term, untreated sleep apnea can increase a person’s risk of high blood pressure, heart disease, metabolic disorders and cognitive impairment.