Company with new treatment for Influenza seeks collaborative and/or licensing partner
GM04-001 relates to Influenza virus infection inhibitors which contain a sialylgalactose-mimicry peptide as an active ingredient.Influenza viruses have two kinds of glycoproteins in their envelope membranes: Hemagglutinin (HA) and Neuraminidase (Sialidase, NA), each of which plays an important role in an establishment of viral infection and a viral budding from a host cell, respectively. HA recognizes a sialic acid-containing sugar chain present on the cell surface of an animal host as a receptor, and specifically bind to such a virus. NA (Sialidase), a receptor-cutting enzyme, cleaves a sialic acid residue on the host cell membrane or virus' own membrane when the viral particle buds or is released from the host cells.
Currently, there are few treatment options with preventive/therapeutic agents against influenza virus infection. Vaccines are used to prevent infection, but only in limited range because an injection is required and also need to make new one for a new type of (mutant) virus. As for a therapeutic agent, the NA inhibitor (e.g. Tamiflu, Relenza) is considered to suppress extracellular release of influenza viruses after intracellular propagation. Moreover, its application has been limited because it should be administered as soon after the infection as a couple of days (~48hrs).
And then, we have screened for HA-binding peptides by above-mentioned phage display library method, and have been selected the peptide is capable of suppressing influenza infection by preventing intracellular invasion of an influenza virus, revealing that peptides can be used to prevent influenza virus infection. This peptide named GM04-001.
This mechanism is directed to suppressing influenza virus infection by blocking of an influenza virus to a host cell by using GM04-001. GM04-001 inhibits the binding of influenza viruses to host cells by binding to the HA present on the virus envelope. Although GM04-001 is capable of acting on influenza viruses and thus preventing their infection, GM04-001 is based on the premise that the influenza virus is present. This suggests that, for use in the clinical situation, GM04-001 is effective when administered after influenza virus infection has been confirmed, as is the case with the NA inhibitors (e.g. Tamiflu). GM04-001 is therefore expected to be effective as a therapeutic agent rather than a preventive agent. Based on a belief that compounds which act on a living body can be administered regardless of the presence or absence of influenza infection and thus produce a remarkable preventive effect (plaque assay and viability study using infection modeling mouse). In the results of the viability study, all mice in the absence of GM04-001 have been died within the 8th day after virus infection. In contrast, by the result that gave some type of peptide at the same time, as for GM04-001, 14 of 15 in surviving mice, and a result that it is most suitable appears. These studies have been carried out 3 times using 5 mice each experiment.
For more information please contact geoff.davison@nwda.co.uk
