SALT LAKE CITY, Nov. 3 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Prolexys Pharmaceuticals announced today the publication of the first extensive description of the protein interaction network of the malarial parasite Plasmodium falciparum. These data provide the foundation for researchers worldwide seeking novel strategies to prevent and treat this devastating disease. The results, published in today’s edition of Nature, are the result of a collaboration between Prolexys scientists and the academic laboratory of Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator Dr. Stanley Fields at the University of Washington, Seattle. The project received funding from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences of the NIH.
Plasmodium falciparum causes a severe form of malaria resulting in 2.7 million deaths worldwide every year. Despite the global importance of this disease, the vast majority of the proteins in this parasite have not been characterized. Protein-Protein interactions in this malarial parasite were elucidated by employing a high-throughput version of the yeast 2-hybrid assay (HyNet(TM)) developed at Prolexys. Protein interactions in Plasmodium falciparum were identified as a result of performing 32,000 yeast 2-hybrid searches using the engineered yeast strains, integrated robotics, LIMS system, Quality Assurance/ Quality Control check-points, and bioinformatics analysis tools developed at Prolexys. Groups of interacting proteins involved in chromatin modification, transcription, ubiquitination, and host cell invasion were identified. These data will provide key information to elucidate the biology of the proteins associated with the parasite and therefore lead to targets that could be exploited to control the initiation and progression of malaria.
Prolexys performed the protein interaction analysis using the HyNet(TM) yeast two-hybrid platform which has also been used to generate a large dataset of 120,000 unique human protein interactions. The Prolexys Project Leader for this study was Dr. Robert Hughes (now at the Buck Institute in Novato, CA). “The results of this study demonstrate the power of using the protein interaction discovery technologies to understand the disease biology and to identify potential therapeutic and prophylactic intervention points,” said Dr. Sudhir Sahasrabudhe, Chief Scientific Officer of Prolexys Pharmaceuticals.
About Prolexys Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
Prolexys Pharmaceuticals, Inc. is a privately held biopharmaceutical company focused on discovering small molecule drugs that act at novel therapeutic targets. The Company’s ability to identify and validate novel targets is driven by its technological leadership in the field of proteomics and the application of proteomics technologies to its own, and its partners, drug discovery programs. Prolexys’ internal drug discovery programs focus on cancer indications where the Company has identified novel therapeutic targets and small molecule compounds active at these targets.
Prolexys Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
CONTACT: Kimberly Rogers, Ph.D., Vice President of Business Development ofProlexys Pharmaceuticals, Inc., +1-801-303-1805
