R13

Overview

R13, also known as BrAD-R13 or as Braegen-01, is a small-molecule flavonoid and orally active, potent, and selective agonist of the tropomyosin receptor kinase B (TrkB), the main signaling receptor for the neurotrophin brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), which is under development for the potential treatment of Alzheimer's disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), depressive disorders, Parkinson's disease, and schizophrenia. It is taken orally.[1–7] WP

The drug is a structural modification and prodrug of 7,8-dihydroxyflavone (7,8-DHF; tropoflavin) with improved potency and pharmacokinetics, namely oral bioavailability and duration. The compound is a replacement for the earlier tropoflavin prodrug R7 and has similar properties to it. It was developed because while R7 displayed a good drug profile in animal studies, it showed almost no conversion into tropoflavin in human liver microsomes. In contrast to R7, R13 is readily hydrolyzed into tropoflavin in human liver microsomes.[3][4][5][8] WP

R13, under the synonym and developmental code name BrAD-R13, is being developed by Braegen Pharmaceutical in China. As of August 2025, it is in phase 1 clinical trials for Alzheimer's disease and the preclinical research stage of development for all other indications.[1][2][7] WP

Drug class

TrkB agonist WP

From the Wikipedia article's infobox.

Chemistry

Formula

C19H16N2O6 PC

CAS number

1609067-49-3 PC

Molar mass (g/mol)

368.3 PC

IUPAC name (computed by PubChem)

[8-(methylcarbamoyloxy)-4-oxo-2-phenylchromen-7-yl] N-methylcarbamate PC

SMILES

CNC(=O)OC1=C(C2=C(C=C1)C(=O)C=C(O2)C3=CC=CC=C3)OC(=O)NC PC

InChIKey

NWWRHMSYZTWUBD-UHFFFAOYSA-N PC

PubChem CID

90117609

Harm reduction information

No harm reduction data is on file for this compound yet. That means no dose, timing or combination data from PsychonautWiki or TripSit. Please don't guess a dose from similar compounds. If you have taken it and feel unwell, contact emergency services or a poison control center.

User reports

Pop culture

No references added yet.

Sources

1. Journal / agency BrAD R13. 8 August 2025
2. Other Delving into the Latest Updates on BrAD-R13 with Synapse. 20 December 2025
3. Journal / agency Liu W, Wang X, O'Connor M, Wang G, Han F. Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor and Its Potential Therapeutic Role in Stroke Comorbidities. Neural Plasticity. 2020. doi:10.1155/2020/1969482 · PMID 32399020 · PMC7204205
4. Journal / agency Wang D, Lang ZC, Wei SN, Wang W, Zhang H. Targeting brain-derived neurotrophic factor in the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases: A review. Neuroprotection. June 2024. doi:10.1002/nep3.43 · PMID 41383700 · PMC12486910
5. Journal / agency Chen C, Wang Z, Zhang Z, Liu X, Kang SS, Zhang Y, Ye K. The prodrug of 7,8-dihydroxyflavone development and therapeutic efficacy for treating Alzheimer's disease. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. January 2018. doi:10.1073/pnas.1718683115 · PMID 29295929 · PMC5777001
6. Other 7,8-Dihydoxyflavone and 7,8-substituted flavone derivatives, compositions, and methods related thereto
7. Other Crystal form B of 7, 8-dihydroxyflavone derivative, and preparation method and application thereof. 20 August 2020
8. Journal / agency Liu C, Chan CB, Ye K. 7,8-dihydroxyflavone, a small molecular TrkB agonist, is useful for treating various BDNF-implicated human disorders. Transl Neurodegener. 2016. doi:10.1186/s40035-015-0048-7 · PMID 26740873 · PMC4702337

Text and values on this page are quoted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0), PubChem (public domain). Each value links to the exact revision it came from.