Trana Discovery Reports Test Could Lead to New Anti-HIV Therapies
Trana Discovery has developed a test that can select compounds that demonstrate anti-HIV bioactivity, the drug discovery technology firm said Tuesday.
The assay, developed in partnership with the Southern Research Institute, focused on compounds that could inhibit use of so-called transfer RNA, or tRNA, by HIV. Use of tRNA is essential for replication of the AIDS virus.
The test could lead to development of a new means of fighting HIV, the company said. In tests at a molecular level, Trans Discovery said a subset of compounds inhibited HIV activity other than inhibition of reverse transcriptase that is used in many existing HIV drugs. Reverse transcriptase is the process by which HIV is incorporated into cells and replicates itself.
“The screen is interesting in that it identified compound classes that are different from that of known antivirals,” said Lucile White, manager of the Southern Research High-Throughput Screening Center. “As a consequence, this [high-throughput screening] assay may lead to the identification of leads which inhibit viral replication by a unique mechanism.”
Trana Discovery has patented technology that screens molecular libraries for potential tRNA inhibitors. It can screen up to 50,000 compounds per day.
Steve Peterson, chief executive officer at Trana Discovery, said the test offers potential to pharmaceutical firms needing to screen molecular compounds.
“The Trana HIV 201 assay gives pharmaceutical companies the ability to rapidly and efficiently screen vast libraries of compounds,” he said.
“For those companies that hold collections of bioactive compounds of an unknown mechanism of action, application of our assay could possibly help identify very quickly a totally new class of treatment for HIV,” Peterson added.
“(Given) the fact that drug resistance continues to be a major challenge for managing patients with HIV and with increasing numbers of individuals who are being infected, we're very optimistic that the use of the assay will identify new antivirals to help keep patients one step ahead of the infection,” the CEO said.
Copyright 2012 by Capitol Broadcasting Company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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