R & D News

Novel Peptide Vector Carries Drug to Human Brain

Re-engineered drugs create new treatments

A new technology from Synt:em has demonstrated, for the first time, its ability to transport a drug across the human blood brain barrier (BBB). The method, which employees Pep:trans, a range of peptide-derived vectors to which compounds can be conjugated, was used to develop Syn1001. The drug, formed by chemically attaching active morphine metabolites to the vector, penetrated the brain and relieved pain, proving the Pep:trans technology concept — that drugs could be re-engineered to form alternatives that cross the BBB.

"We have now opened up a way to rapidly develop new drugs that address the huge market of central nervous system diseases. We believe that Syn1001 is well positioned as a potential product to treat postoperative pain," said Michel Kaczorek, founder and CEO of Synt:em.

www.syntem.com

New Pharma Forerunner

To speed-up time between research outcomes and development of genome-based drugs, PharmaLogicals Research Pte — a collaboration between Chungai, Mitsui and CIEA — has formed a research system that integrates drug design strategy and pathological studies with cutting-edge advances in genomic research. Based at the University of Tokyo's Research Centre (RCAST), the Forerunner Pharma Research Co Ltd, as it will be known, is anticipated to make use of the available research in pathological proteomics from PharmaLogicals and also further develop its collaborate research with RCAST and other institutes.

www.chungai-pharm.co.uk

Respiratory Treatment Advances

Arakis and Vectura, who joined forces to develop the long acting antimuscarinic agent AD 237 for the treatment of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, have added Novartis to their team. Novartis will be responsible for developing the drug, presently in Phase II clinical trials, as a monotherapy as well as in combination with its long acting beta2 agonist, QA±49, also in Phase II development.

www.arakis.com

Is It Goodbye Injection?

Using ultrasound, Japan-based Kagoshima University and KSL, claim to have developed a new transdermal drug delivery system that could make injections a thing of the past.

The new method should allow a wider range of drugs, such as the larger-sized insulin, to pass the skin barrier without the need for injection. The technique, which the companies hope to have on the market in the next five years, has already been used to pass a fever-reducing drug across the skin of mice, proving its efficacy. www.kagoshima-u.ac.jp