A University of Nebraska Medical Center College of Pharmacy-led team
of scientists is celebrating with cautious optimism as the drug it
developed
has taken another step toward success. The anti-malarial drug candidate
is now being tested in phase I clinical trials in London, where it is
being
evaluated for safety in a small group of human volunteers.
If the drug works as hoped, it could be marketed to treat malaria at
a cost much less than commonly used anti-malarial drugs.
The UNMC-led team, which has been funded by Medicines for Malaria
Venture
(MMV) of Geneva, Switzerland since 2001, is made up of scientists from
the UNMC College of Pharmacy, Monash University in Australia, the Swiss
Tropical Institute and F. Hoffmann-LaRoche pharmaceutical company in
Switzerland.
The group received a patent on the drug compound and shares a
five-year,
$5.5 million grant funded by MMV.
Jonathan Vennerstrom, Ph.D., associate professor of pharmaceutical
sciences,
UNMC College of Pharmacy, led the project, which is now transitioning
to
Ranbaxy Laboratories Ltd., one of India’s largest pharmaceutical
companies.
“Dr. Vennerstrom has achieved a very significant milestone,” said
Clarence
Ueda, Ph.D., dean of the UNMC College of Pharmacy. “Although a number
of
other hurdles still remain, his years of dedication and effort appear
to
be panning out. I’m very, very pleased for him.
“He and his team are an excellent example of what being scientists
is
all about, especially one in academia. They epitomize commitment,
focus,
perseverance, dedication, teamwork, and, of course, hard work. It’s not
your everyday scientist that pursues a research career in an area such
as malaria, especially in the United States, where the financial gains
are not that enticing. Dr. Vennerstrom chose a career in science for
the
right reasons,” Dr. Ueda said.
Though the malaria epidemic seems like a world away, in places such
as Africa, Asia, Central and South America, the disease kills more than
2 million people each year, most of them children and pregnant women,
according
to the World Health Organization (WHO). In addition, an estimated 300
million
to 500 million new cases of malaria are diagnosed each year. More than
90 percent of all malaria cases occur in Africa. Also at risk are those
who travel to countries where malaria is prevalent.
Dr. Vennerstrom and his team are humbled by their success. There are
many hurdles. Most drugs fail before reaching the market.
“This has been a wonderful project. I’ve been blessed with such good
people in our lab and our project partners. There’s always a chance
that
drug candidates can fail. So far there have been no problems with it.
This
project’s always been a go. So far, so good. It’s way out of our hands
now,” Dr. Vennerstrom said.
He said the team continues to perfect the compound to make it
better.
“We have a number of really good backup compounds should something
happen
to this one. The current drug has made it to phase I. We’re all quite
confident
it will work well in patients. This drug has such powerful
anti-malarial
properties.
Yuxiang Dong, Ph.D., research associate, UNMC College of Pharmacy,
discovered the anti-malarial compound. “I didn’t realize the potential
until the WHO (World Health Organization)
said it was ‘spectacular.’ We didn’t think it was a big deal at the
time,”
Dr. Dong said. “We’ve had tremendous success. To me, it’s a big
satisfaction.
Maybe this is the beginning.”
Called the Synthetic Peroxide Project, it was the first new drug
candidate
to be entirely funded by MMV in 2001, and also was voted Project of the
Year that same year. MMV was officially launched in 1999 as a
non-profit
foundation dedicated to reducing the burden of malaria in disease
endemic
countries by discovering new affordable anti-malarials through
effective
public-private partnership.
MMV currently funds 21 projects. Dr. Vennerstrom’s project is
considered
one of four MMV accelerated projects. One of MMV’s major sources of
funds
is the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.