[Sunesis patent]
Wednesday February 27, 8:03 am Eastern Time
Press Release
SOURCE: Sunesis Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
Sunesis Announces U.S. Patent for Small Molecule Drug Discovery Technology
SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif., Feb. 27 /PRNewswire/ -- Sunesis Pharmaceuticals today announced the issuance of U.S. patent # 6,344,334, exclusively licensed from the University of California. The patent covers a key component of Target-Directed Lead Discovery, the company's novel approach to increase the efficiency and productivity of small molecule pharmaceutical discovery.
Target-Directed Lead Discovery allows Sunesis' researchers to screen libraries of ``monophores,'' fundamental building blocks of small molecule therapeutics, against validated targets otherwise refractory to small molecule discovery. Each monophore contains a structural feature that facilitates ``Tethering,'' the formation of bonds between the target and monophore that allows the target to select monophores with the highest binding affinity for a specific region on the target's surface.
Once monophores are selected, a second structural feature allows them to be readily linked together, further increasing compound potency. U.S. patent # 6,344,334 covers methods for linking at least two selected monophores to form compounds suitable for further optimization.
``By screening our proprietary library of monophores and selecting, through Tethering, only those monophores with the highest affinity, Sunesis' technology platform dramatically reduces the number of compounds that must be tested to provide novel leads for pharmaceutical development,'' stated James Young, Ph.D., CEO of Sunesis. ``To survey an equivalent range of chemical diversity using traditional drug discovery techniques would involve the screening of libraries of millions of fully formed compounds. Our approach saves both time and resources, and will lead to breakthrough therapeutics that will often be first-in-class inhibitors against challenging targets, such as protein-protein interfaces and intractable enzymes.''
Founded in 1998, Sunesis is focused on the discovery and development of small molecule therapeutics that inhibit protein-protein and enzyme targets. Sunesis' strategy is to focus initially on highly validated targets that have an established clinical path and will be first-in-class therapeutics or orally available replacements to injectable protein-based therapeutics, such as monoclonal antibodies. Sunesis intends to pursue certain targets on behalf of corporate pharmaceutical partners using its discovery technology to generate optimizable lead compounds. In addition, Sunesis will selectively pursue other compounds and targets for internal development.
SOURCE: Sunesis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. |
