PALO ALTO, Calif., Jan. 20, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- Eiger BioPharmaceuticals, Inc., a biotechnology company developing antiviral therapies, announced today the publication of research from the labs of Stanford scientist and Eiger Founder, Dr. Jeffrey Glenn, M.D., Ph.D. and colleagues entitled, "Identification of a Novel Class of HCV Inhibitors". Published in the January 20th edition of Science and Translational Medicine, the research validates a domain, termed 4BAH2, within the non-structural protein (NS4B) of the HCV genome, as essential for HCV replication and describes the development of a high-throughput screen leading to the identification of small molecule inhibitors of 4BAH2.
"The discovery of a new class of HCV inhibitors against a novel target that is described in this paper paves the way for the development of novel anti-HCV strategies. This is of particular benefit because, like AIDS and tuberculosis, future effective therapy for HCV is expected to require a cocktail of several independent classes of drugs, each designed against a different viral target. As such, the types of inhibitors described in this paper represent ideal components of future anti-HCV drug cocktails," said Jeffrey Glenn, M.D., Ph.D., Founder of Eiger. "I am particularly excited to be working with the Eiger team because they have proven their ability to rapidly develop potent derivatives of the initial compounds described in my lab, and to efficiently move leads to the clinic."
About Eiger BioPharmaceuticals, Inc. www.eigerbio.com
Eiger is focused on the discovery and development of new antiviral agents against novel targets for the treatment of hepatitis virus infections. Eiger's pipeline includes repurposed clinical stage therapeutic agents as well as preclinical NCEs from discovery that exhibit antiviral activity against Hepatitis C, Hepatitis D, and other viruses. Eiger investors include InterWest Partners www.interwest.com and Vivo Ventures www.vivoventures.com.
Eiger BioPharmaceuticals, Inc.
