Corporate | 12 April 2006 10:00
Planegg-Martinsried, Germany, 12 April 2006 – 4SC AG (Frankfurt, Prime Standard: VSC), a German drug discovery and development company based in Martinsried, and the Institute of Molecular Virology of the University of Münster, Germany, jointly announced today that they will cooperate in the development of an active agent suitable for the treatment of influenza virus infections.
There is a significant need for medical treatment of infections caused by influenza viruses. The occurrence of highly pathogenic virus strains in Asia and in Turkey, the so-called H5N1 avian influenza (bird flu) viruses, and the associated risk of a possible pandemic in humans emphasises the current need for antiviral drugs. The research group at the Institute of Molecular Virology of the University of Münster, which is headed by Prof. Dr Stephan Ludwig, is taking a novel approach. Prof. Dr Ludwig is one of the pioneers of the research into the role played by the human NF-kB signalling pathway in influenza virus infections and the development of the corresponding disease. Already in his early research works he had succeeded in demonstrating that the NF-kB system, which constitutes a vital part of the human immune defence system, is altered by the influenza viruses in a way that it promotes viral activities, thus enabling viral proliferation.
Initial studies on an influenza virus of the H7N7 subtype, a highly pathogenic influenza A virus isolate from birds, have shown that a compound developed by 4SC AG is capable of inhibiting the NF-kB signalling pathway, resulting in a significant reduction of influenza virus multiplication. The compound had been identified by 4SC AG in the course of a project aimed at developing novel drugs for the treatment of autoimmune diseases, by targeting the regulation of the NF-kB mechanism.
The purpose of the cooperation between 4SC AG and the Institute of Molecular Virology is to extend the research activities and include other types of viruses as well as to demonstrate the safety and efficacy of suitable active agents in subsequent preclinical and clinical studies.
‘We are very pleased about the promising activities shown by the compounds developed by 4SC AG’, noted Prof. Dr Ludwig. ‘Therefore, the prospects of being able to present rapid progress in this area of drug research by collaborating with 4SC AG look very promising.’
Institute of Molecular Virology of the University of Münster
Research at the Institute of Molecular Virology focuses on intracellular signal transduction pathways and their impact on viral infection and inflammation. The virological research is mainly focussed on influenza viruses, which still represent a serious problem worldwide. Aim of the work is – via gathering knowledge about the cellular processes which control virus replication – to learn more about viral reproduction strategies and to eventually find new targets for an antiviral intervention on the basis of cellular components. Another research focus of the institute are signalling pathways involved in inflammatory responses. This includes not only the molecular analysis of pro-inflammatory cytokine expression and signalling mechanisms during the acute-phase response, but also the analysis of signalling pathways during inflammatory activation of the endothelium – an essential step during the onset of inflammatory processes.
About 4SC AG
4SC AG (ISIN DE0005753818) has been listed in the Prime Standard of Frankfurt stock exchange since 15 December 2005. Founded in 1997 and now with a staff of 55, the company develops novel drug candidates for inflammatory diseases and cancer using a cheminformatics based technology platform. Traditional high throughput screening of therapeutic agents has been transferred from the lab to the computer. Thus, the company offers substantial cost and time advantages as well as increased success rates in drug development. 4SC uses its patented technology platform to create a sustainable product pipeline for active agents that are developed in early clinical phases (‘proof of concept’) and subsequently result in upfront and milestone payments as well as participation in sales generated by out-licensed products to the pharmaceutical industry. The pipeline currently has five projects, the first of which, on the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis, has successfully completed clinical phase I. Preparations for the conduct of the IIa clinical phase are well under way. A further one to two other product candidates should go into clinical development in 2006. Furthermore, the company has its technology platform in co-operation projects with biotech and pharma companies and is already generating initial revenues.
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