AliquantumRx Inc. signed an MTA with the University of Georgia to study the efficacy of Cethromycin-HCl in vitro against dormant hypnozoites. The work will be performed in the laboratory of Dr. Chester Joyner, Assistant Professor at UGa.
Dr. Joyner developed culture system for high-throughput screening to prime and accelerate anti-P. vivax drug discovery efforts. “The only currently approved drugs to prevent relapse of P. vivax or P. ovale malaria are 8-aminoquinolines, which cause hemolytic anemia in glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) deficient individuals and thus require point of care tests for G6PD deficiency” said Dr. Sullivan, Chairman of the Board and Professor, Johns Hopkins University. “Preliminary data indicates cethromycin has activity against liver stage, blood stage, and dormant hypnozoite stage parasites” added Dr. Sullivan. In unpublished communication from a P. cynomolgi study done in 2011 at AFRIMMS by Dr. Greg Deye, one of the two monkey treated with cethromycin did not relapse after 14 days of 16 mg/kg dosing, indicating partial activity or possibly inadequate drug dose exposure.
“Testing Cethromycin-HCl in the in vitro hypnozoite assay developed by Dr. Joyner at UGa is the first step towards its development as a dormant anti-malarial” said Dr. Kaludov, president of AliquantumRx Inc. “We believe the highly desirable multi-stage activity can be attributed to the unique chemical structure of cethromycin, combining the known activity of macrolides against the essential apicoplast organelle, and the potential benefits of the quinoline for enhancing hypnozoite activity” continued Dr. Kaludov. “Unlike current therapies, cethromycin’s metabolism does not produce reactive species that cause hemolytic anemia in those with G6PD deficiency. This eliminates the need for a blood test, removing a major barrier to treatment and advancing disease eradication efforts” added Dr. Sullivan.
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