FREDERICK, Md., May 14 /PRNewswire/ -- ImQuest Bio and Arisyn jointly presented important new results on ATI-0810 (Formerly PG301029), a novel late stage inhibitor of hepatitis C virus (HCV) replication, at the 13th ISVHLD meeting held last week in Washington D.C. The presentation highlighted the ability of PG301029 to potently suppress the replication of HCV in vitro and defined its potential mechanism of antiviral action through the selection of a replicon resistant to the antiviral effects of the compound. Resistant HCV replicon sequences were selected in cell culture and resulted in mutations in the viral NS5A proximal to the NS5A-NS5B cleavage junction. The defined mutation would affect viral polyprotein processing at this site, or the interaction of NS5A, or the NS5A/5B polyprotein(s) with host cell factors involved in viral RNA replication, either of which presents a novel target for antiviral therapy. Todd B. Parsley, Ph.D., Director of Hepatitis Virus Research, presented the new findings which also included gene profiling patterns in compound treated and untreated cells. The studies included ImQuest co-authors Lu Yang, MD and Robert W. Buckheit, Jr., Ph.D.
“The data presented indicate that PG301029 has a unique mechanism of action as an inhibitor of hepatitis C virus replication,” said the study’s Principal Investigator, Dr. Parsley. “The genetic analysis suggests that PG301029 functions through a novel antiviral target, and we are excited about the prospects for exploiting this target for the development of new and potent anti-HCV therapies.”
The presentation represents a continuation of the research partnership between ImQuest and Arisyn for the development of Arisyn’s portfolio of antiviral and anticancer products based on its platform technology involving targeting of RNA transcription. Funding for the study was obtained in part from a Small Business SBIR grant recently awarded to ImQuest by the NIH.
ImQuest BioSciences Inc., a privately held U.S. company located in Frederick, Maryland, is a leading provider of anti-infective therapeutic and microbicide development services to the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industry.
Arisyn Therapeutics Inc., a privately held virtual biotechnology company headquartered in Frederick, Maryland with a mission of identifying novel first in class inhibitors for infectious diseases and cancer and providing development resources for these agents through Phase 1 and 2 human clinical trials.
CONTACT: Robert W. Buckheit, Jr., Ph.D. of ImQuest, +1-301-696-0274,
rbuckheit@imquest.com
