DOR BioPharma Initiates New Botulinum Toxin Therapeutic Program

18-Feb-2005

DOR BioPharma, Inc. announced that it has initiated a rational drug design program to identify oral, small molecule drugs to counter the deadly effects of botulinum toxin exposure. Botulinum toxin is generally regarded as the most poisonous natural substance known to man, and has been used as a bioterror agent in the past. Currently, there are no clinically acceptable drugs that either slow or reverse the effects of Botulinum toxin.

Capitalizing on research focused on structure/function relationships of Botulinum toxin done by Lance Simpson, Ph.D., Director, Center for Research on Bioterrorism and Biodefense, Thomas Jefferson University Philadelphia, the inventor of DOR's oral Botulinum toxin vaccine, BT-VACC(TM), DOR has entered into an agreement with Blue Dolphin, LLC, a firm specializing in rational drug design, to apply computer-aided design to the discovery of new drug leads against Botulinum toxin.

Under the agreement, Blue Dolphin will propose novel drug-like inhibitors of Botulinum toxin by targeting a new site on the toxin's structure identified by Dr. Simpson. Millions of candidate molecules will be modeled for structural and chemical fit to the target site on the toxin using computer aided discovery techniques. The best fitting molecules will be experimentally tested by Dr. Simpson for their effectiveness in treating Botulinum toxin exposure. By focusing on the structure of the Botulinum toxin, as opposed to derivatives of previously known inhibitors, this "virtual screening" will allow DOR to target new parts of the toxin with new candidate inhibitors.

https://www.chemeurope.com/en/news/43530/dor-biopharma-initiates-new-botulinum-toxin-therapeutic-program.html