PolyMedix Defensin-Mimetic Antimicrobial Compounds Show Activity Against Oral Candida Fungus and Malaria
Animal Efficacy Data Presented at the Keystone Symposia on Molecular and Cellular Biology
RADNOR, Pa., Jan. 20, 2012 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- PolyMedix, Inc. (OTCBB:PYMX), a biotechnology company focused on developing innovative therapeutic drugs to treat serious acute-care conditions, announced today encouraging in vivo and in vitro data for its novel, defensin-mimetic antimicrobial compounds, which included studies showing efficacy in animal models of oral candidiasis and malaria. The data were presented at the Keystone Symposia on Molecular and Cellular Biology in Santa Fe, New Mexico on January 17 and 18, 2012. The presentations are available on PolyMedix's website at www.Polymedix.com.
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"These data continue to support the novel mechanism of action and selectivity of our defensin-mimetic compounds against bacteria, fungal pathogens and parasites," commented Dr. Richard Scott, Vice President of Research at PolyMedix. "We are excited about the new opportunities for potential use in Candida fungal infections and malaria, presented by these latest findings. We are grateful for the high degree of attention our research receives from the scientific community, which we believe reflects the importance of the work. We look forward to further advancing these programs and expanding their scope of uses."
In a poster titled, "Activity of an Antifungal Peptide Mimetic in an Experimental In Vivo Model of Oral Candidiasis," Dr. Scott presented data describing the anti-fungal activity of PolyMedix's defensin-mimetic compounds. This presentation described a series of compounds that are potently active and highly selective for the Candida fungal pathogen over other bacterial and eukaryotic cell types. The compounds appear to kill C. albicans by rapidly permeabilizing its cell membrane, similar to the mechanism of action of other defensin-mimetic compounds in killing bacteria. The activity of a lead compound, PMX-519 was examined in an oral model of Candida infection in mice. Mice were treated with a single topical application of drug three days after infection of the oral cavity with C. albicans. The results showed that PMX-519 produced near total sterilization of the infected tongue following the single administration, and was 50-fold more effective than nystatin, a commonly used anti-fungal agent. This work was supported under a Phase 2 SBIR grant received from the National Institute of Health (NIH).
At the same scientific meeting, Dr. Doron Greenbaum, Assistant Professor of Pharmacology at the University of Pennsylvania, presented in vitro and in vivo data showing that PolyMedix's antimicrobial compounds show promising activity in experimental models of malaria. The data presented showed that PolyMedix's antimicrobial compounds potently killed the parasite that causes malaria, Plasmodium falciparum, in infected human red blood cells, without damaging uninfected red blood cells. The compounds appear to rapidly target the membrane of the digestive vacuole of the parasite via a unique mechanism which is distinct from other anti-malarial agents. Encouraging in vivo activity was also reported with a potential lead compound on malaria parasite clearance and animal survival in a mouse malaria model. This work was supported under a Fast Track SBIR grant received from the National Institute of Health (NIH).
The research described above was funded by the NIH, is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official view of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases or the National Institutes of Health.
For more information on the Keystone Symposia on Molecular and Cellular Biology, please visit the organizations website at: keystonesymposia.org.
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