Newswise — The National Center for Natural Products Research (NCNPR) at the University of Mississippi and the nonprofit Medicines for Malaria Venture (MMV) have formed a partnership to study a compound that has shown promising activities against the malaria parasite.
This antimalarial, 8-amini-quinoline, could become a treatment for radical cure for Plasmodium vivax and possibly have other application in the treatment of other malaria species or as a preventative medication.
"Our findings suggest a compelling rationale for continued development of this compound," said Larry Walker, project leader and director of NCNPR. "Its potency, favorable safety profile, efficacy and long duration of action in animal studies indicate a potential dramatic improvement in the utility of this class of compounds for malaria." Malaria infects an estimated 300 million to 500 million people around the world, killing more than a million people every year. Children under 5 and pregnant women are most vulnerable. While not the cause of significant mortality, Plasmodium vivax contributes largely to malaria morbidity among people of all ages. It is estimated that 70 million to 80 million cases of vivax malaria occur annually in Southeast Asia and South America.
"We are very encouraged by the progress of the research," said Dr. Christopher Hentschel, CEO of MMV. "MMV's mission is to support efforts with the greatest promise and to work with institutions that have the knowledge and expertise to nurture these research developments. Through effective public-private partnership, the lack of R&D in malaria in the past three decades is finally being reversed with projects such as this one at the University of Mississippi."
The initial preparation of a series of these 8-aminoquinolines was done by researchers at the U.S. Walter Reed Army Institute of Research. Early work at the UM School of Pharmacy focused on comparing the efficacy of several of these analogs against malaria and pneumocystis pneumonia.
In the course of this work, supported by the National Institutes of Health, and in collaboration with researchers at the University of Miami School of Medicine and the Indiana University School of Medicine, a form of the drug was discovered to have improved efficacy and greatly reduced toxicity in animal studies.
The next steps are to address the synthetic process chemistry to decrease the cost of goods for the drug substance, confirm its favorable safety profile relative to other 8-aminoquinolines and validate its radical curative efficacy in established primate models. If all the above milestones are achieved, the partners will implement a complete drug development program for registration. If this compound proves to be as effective and safer than primaquine, it could be the first new drug to treat P. vivax in over 50 years.
About Medicines for Malaria VentureMedicines for Malaria Venture (MMV) was launched on 3 November 1999 as a nonprofit foundation dedicated to reducing the burden of malaria in disease-endemic countries by discovering, developing and delivering new affordable antimalarials through effective public-private partnership. These global "public goods" will be one of the fruits of such collaboration. After four years of operation, MMV is managing the largest portfolio of malaria research in history with 21 projects in different stages of drug research and development. MMV's goal is to register one new antimalarial drug every five years, with the first one before 2010. For further information please consult http://www.mmv.org.
About the National Center for Natural Products ResearchThe University of Mississippi's National Center for Natural Products Research (NCNPR) is a university-affiliated research center devoted to discovering, developing and commercializing new pharmaceuticals and agrochemicals derived from natural products. NCNPR was opened in 1995, and employs more than 80 scientists and staff devoted to natural products research. Research programs are focused on the discovery of bioactive natural products and their derivatives useful as anti-infective, anticancer and immunomodulatory/antiinflammatory drugs. The center has an active effort in the discovery of new agents effective against malaria, as well as other parasitic diseases. More information can be found at http://olemiss.edu/depts/ncnpr. About Indiana University Advanced Research & Technology Institute and the IU School of MedicineIU ARTI is a nonprofit corporation established in 1996 by Indiana University to promote technology transfer, assist with the formation of new businesses and maintain equity in them, protect and administer IU trademarks, and further the educational mission of the university. The Indiana University School of Medicine (IUSM) was founded in 1903 and is the only medical school chartered and sponsored by the state of Indiana. IUSM is the second-largest school of medicine in the United States, with more than 1,400 students enrolled in Ph.D., M.D., and other degree programs. The IUSM Web site is http://www.medicine.iu.edu. The ARTI Web site is http://arti.indiana.edu
About the University of Miami School of MedicineOne of the nation's youngest medical schools, founded in 1952, the University of Miami School of Medicine has established a research enterprise that the National Institutes of Health ranks in the top 30 percent of the country's 125 medical schools in research funding awarded. With more than $200 million in research expenditures and 1.5 million square feet of research space, the medical school's 1,000-plus full-time faculty members and 400 research personnel conduct clinical and basic science research crossing all disciplines, from epidemiology and pediatrics to AIDS, ophthalmology, psychiatry and the neurosciences. The Web site is http://www.miami.edu.
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