FREDERICK, Md., April 1, 2008 /PRNewswire/ -- ImQuest BioSciences, Inc. announced today the publication of the results of an important structure- activity relationship study to investigate the efficacy and toxicity of a series of pyrimidinedione analogs against HIV-1 and HIV-2. The manuscript, published in the journal Antiviral Chemistry and Chemotherapy, shows the results of ImQuest's HIV drug development program based on compounds which it licensed from Samjin Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd. The report, authored by Robert W. Buckheit, Jr., Ph.D. (Executive Vice President and Chief Scientific Officer of ImQuest) describes the synthesis of the highly potent pyrimidinedione series and the structural features of the compounds which are responsible for their high level of potency against HIV, the expanded range of action to include HIV-2, and the unique dual mechanism of entry and RT inhibitory activity against HIV-1.
"The studies performed will allow us to focus our resources on the preclinical and clinical development of the most potent lead pyrimidinedione and to gain insight into the molecular features of the compounds which yield the high potency and characteristic dual mechanism of antiviral action of these unique compounds," explained Dr. Buckheit. Other coauthors on this paper include ImQuest virologists Tracy Hartman, Karen Watson and Lu Yang and Samjin chemists Ho-Seok Kwon, Sun-Hwan Lee, Jae-Woong Lee, Dong-Wook Kang, Sun-Gan Chung and Eui-Hwan Cho.
ImQuest expects to submit an IND to initiate Phase 1 human clinical trials with IQP-0410, a highly potent member of the pyrimidinedione series in the third quarter of 2008. In addition, ImQuest has initiated IND-enabling studies with the pyrimidinedione IQP-0528 as a potential anti-HIV topical microbicide.
ImQuest Life Sciences, a privately held U.S. company located in Frederick, Maryland specializes in early stage drug development of novel compounds for the treatment of infectious disease and cancer. Samjin Pharmaceutical Co., a publicly held company listed on the Korean Stock Exchange, is one of the leading pharmaceutical companies in Korea. ImQuest BioSciences, also located in Frederick, Maryland, is a leading provider of anti-infective and anti- cancer drug and vaccine development services to the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industry.
rbuckheit@imquest.com
CONTACT: Robert W. Buckheit, Jr., Ph.D., Executive Vice President and
Chief Scientific Officer of ImQuest Life Sciences, Inc., +1-301-696-0274,
rbuckheit@imquest.com
Web site: http://www.imquest.com/
