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Rib-X Granted Key Antibiotic Drug Discovery Patents
10/05/2005
New Haven, CT - Rib-X Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a privately held
biopharmaceutical company that is designing and developing next generation
antibiotics, today announced the issuance of four U.S. patents (U.S. patent
number 6,952,650, 6,947,845, 6,947,844, and 6,939,848). Rib-X was founded to use
high resolution crystal structures of the 50S ribosomal subunit and novel,
proprietary structure-based drug design approaches to efficiently design new
classes of antibiotics that are active against drug-resistant bacteria. The
ribosome, found in all cells, is a complex of protein and RNA which promotes
protein synthesis, and its 50S subunit has long been known to be a valuable,
clinically relevant antibiotic target. This growing patent estate reinforces the
Company's significance to the important area of antibiotic drug development.
The new patents describe Rib-X's proprietary position on crystal structures
of the 50S subunit of the ribosome and the complexes it forms with known
antibiotics, which define functional sub-spaces of the ribosome ripe for drug
discovery. These patents are based on the groundbreaking research of two Rib-X
founders, Yale professors Peter Moore, Ph.D. and Thomas Steitz, Ph.D., (also a
Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator) as well as the work of Rib-X
scientists. Rib-X is the exclusive worldwide commercial licensee of the Yale
patents. To complete its access to ribosome high resolution structural
information, Rib-X has also exclusively licensed the structure of the small
subunit of the ribosome, the 30S, from the Medical Research Council (London),
and the structure of the entire ribosome, the 70S, from the University of
California.
Rib-X also announced today a new ribosome crystal structure -- the first high
resolution X-ray crystal structure of the 50S ribosomal subunit of a
Gram-positive bacterium. This is the first time ever that a scientific group has
succeeded in obtaining a high resolution structure of the 50S from prototypic
Gram-positive organisms. This new structure will enable Rib-X scientists to
design new classes of antibiotics based on atomic resolution knowledge of how
known antibiotics and Rib-X proprietary compounds interact with this and other
pathogenic bacteria.
"The issuance of these patents and our ability to complete a high resolution
ribosomal structure from Gram-positive bacteria are two significant achievements
that attest to the strength of Rib-X's approach to creating novel and potent
antibiotics that overcome resistant bacteria," said Susan Froshauer, Ph.D.,
President and Chief Executive Officer of Rib-X. "These patents, which further
consolidate our proprietary position on the use of the 50S ribosome structure,
will enhance the commercial opportunities for the company."
Many existing classes of antibiotics, including those used to treat both
community- and hospital-acquired infections, are known to function by targeting
the 50S. Among the classes of antibiotics that act this way are macrolides, the
ketolides and the oxazolidinones that contribute more than $3 billion to the
annual antibiotic marketplace. Zithromax and Zyvox are examples of two such
antibiotics. The in-depth knowledge of the 50S structure provides Rib-X
scientists an unprecedented, proprietary understanding of exactly how these
important classes of antibiotics bind to the ribosome and why they block its
function. Rib-X is using these insights to design novel molecules that will
overcome the resistance of pathogenic bacteria to existing classes of
antibiotics, which is a serious threat to public health.
"We doctors have waited a long time for a new approach to antibiotic
development," said Rib-X Chief Clinical Officer, Scott Hopkins, M.D. "Our
ribosome technology has already enabled Rib-X to build a pipeline of compounds
of distinct structural classes for both hospital- and community-based
infections. This new crystal structure puts us in a unique position to target
multidrug-resistant Gram-positive bacteria like MRSA, VRE and PRSP that cause
life-threatening infections. The use of the new structure will enhance our
accuracy in designing new antibiotics, putting us in an even stronger position
to rapidly produce drugs with increased efficacy against infections caused by
drug-resistant bacteria."
About Rib-X Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
Rib-X Pharmaceuticals is a product-driven small molecule drug discovery and
development company focused on the structure-based design of new classes of
antibiotics. The Company’s drug discovery strategy is focused on the
exploitation of its proprietary high-resolution crystal structure of the 50S
subunit of the ribosome, which performs an essential role in the fundamental
process of protein synthesis, and to which many known antibiotics bind. The 50S
ribosomal subunit is the target for many clinically important classes of
antibiotics, including those used to treat both community-acquired and
hospital-acquired pathogens. The Company’s integrated research approach, which
combines state of the art, proprietary computational analysis, x-ray
crystallography, medicinal chemistry, microbiology and biochemistry, allows it
to rapidly synthesize new agents designed to avoid typical antibiotic resistance
mechanisms. Its program has already yielded many attractive compounds with
attributes that make them appropriate for either the hospital Gram-positive or
community respiratory tract infection marketplace. During 2005, Rib-X intends to
initiate Phase I studies for at least one clinical candidate from its most
advanced program. For more information on the ribosome and the Rib-X mission,
please visit the Company website at www.rib-x.com. |
