Pipeline

    DISCOVERY & DEVELOPMENT  PRECLINICAL   PHASE I 
Indication Target Partner Target Selection & Assay Development Hit Development       Lead Optimisation (ADME-Tox)
Infectious Mononucleosis Epstein- Barr Virus internal progress-bar
Androgenic Alopecia undisclosed internal progress-bar
Gram Positive Antibacterials gram-positive bacteria Imperial College London, Sunderland University progress-bar
Dengue Fever Dengue virus DENV-1 & DENV-2 Institute for Medical Research, Malaysia progress-bar
Filariasis Wuchereria bancrofti Institute for Medical Research, Malaysia progress-bar
Malaria Plasmodium falciparum/ Plasmodium Vivax Institute for Medical Research, Malaysia progress-bar

Infectious Mononucleosis

Infectious Mononucleosis is an infectious disease caused by the Epstein-Barr Virus (EBV). Typical symptoms include fever, fatigue, pharyngitis, malaise and lymphadenopathy. In the US, there are from 6 to 8 cases per 1,000 persons per year for 10-19 year olds [1,2] and incidence is higher among populations with a high adolescent rate.

Molplex is currently developing an oral therapy to prevent infection and transmission of the virus in humans. Molplex is using a novel target within the EBV virus which would enable the development of a safe and effective therapy against this debilitating disease.

Androgenic Alopecia

Androgenic Alopecia is the most common cause of hair loss in men. An estimated 80% of Caucasian men experience some degree of androgenetic alopecia before the age of 70 [3].
Recent research has provided new insights into the molecular mechanisms of this common disease and Molplex is using this novel research to develop a topical therapy for hair loss control in men.

Gram Positive Antibacterials

Antibacterial resistance is the resistance of a bacteria to an antibiotic medicine to which it was previously sensitive. The World Health Organization (WHO) [4] and the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) [5] have classified antibacterial resistance as a top global health threat. Molplex, in partnership with Imperial College London and Sunderland University, is developing novel classes of antibacterials which will treat resistant bacteria and in addition be safer than current antibacterial drugs. By using a novel mechanism of action, the antibacterials being developed by Molplex will also be able to penetrate the brain, and in doing so, can be used to treat cases of bacterial meningitis.

Dengue Fever

Dengue Fever is a mosquito-borne infectious disease caused by the Dengue Virus. The infection causes flu-like illness, and occasionally develops into a potentially lethal complication called severe dengue. In recent years, the global incidence of dengue has grown dramatically, and now about half of the world population is at risk [6]. An estimated 500,000 people with severe dengue require hospitalisation each year, a large proportion of whom are children. About 2.5% of those affected die [6]. Molplex, in partnership with the Institute of Medical Research in Malaysia, is developing novel antiviral drugs for treatment of the disease in infected patients.

Filariasis

Filariasis is an infectious tropical disease caused by parasitic roundworms. Over 120 million people are currently infected, with about 40 million disfigured and incapacitated by the disease [8].

First-line treatments -- diethylcarbamazine (DEC) and Ivermectin – not only suffer from adverse side-effects, but they are mostly effective against the early stages of the parasite (microfilaria stage), whereas their potency decreases as the nematode grows and becomes infective.

Molplex, in partnership with the Institute of Medical Research, Malaysia, is developing safe antiparasitic treatments effective against nematodes in their adult infective stages.

Malaria

Malaria is a mosquito-borne infectious tropical disease caused by parasites of the genus Plasmodium. In 2010, Malaria caused caused an estimated 655,000 deaths mostly among African children [9]. Similar to current bacterial resistance to traditional therapies, the Malaria parasites are gaining resistance to known drugs such as chloroquine, sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine and the newer artemisinins. Molplex is working with the Institute of Medical Research in Malaysia for the discovery of novel chemotherapeutic agents against both strains of the Malaria parasite: Plasmodium Falciparum and Plasmodium Vivax. The objective is to use novel mechanisms of action to find potent and safer drugs.

References:


[1]   Henke CE, Kurland LT, Elveback LR. Infectious mononucleosis in Rochester, Minnesota, 1950 through 1969. Am J Epidemiol. 1973;98:483–490.
[2]   Fry J. Infectious mononucleosis: some new observations from a 15-year study. J Fam Pract. 1980;10:1087–1089.
[3]   Alsantali A, Shapiro J. Androgens and hair loss. Curr Opin Endocrinol Diabetes Obes. 2009;16:246–253.
[4]   http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs194/en/
[5]   http://www.ecdc.europa.eu/en/healthtopics/antimicrobial_resistance/Pages/index.aspx
[6]   http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs117/en/
[7]   http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs104/en/index.html
[8]   http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs102/en/
[9]   http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs094/en/index.html