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ImQuest Life Sciences has signed an exclusive license to develop ISIS 5320 as an anti-HIV microbicide from Isis Pharmaceuticals. ISIS 5320 is a phosphorothioate oligonucleotide (TTGGGGTT) which specifically inhibits the interaction of HIV with CD4 by binding as a quartet structure to the V3 loop of the envelope glycoprotein (gp120). ISIS 5320 has been found to inhibit all clinical HIV strains tested and potently inhibits both virus attachment and virus-cell fusion, as well as the cell-free and cell-to-cell transmission of virus. ISIS 5320 was also found to be highly active in cervical explant models of HIV transmission, with greatest potency against the CCR5-tropic viruses that are believed to be sexually transmitted. ISIS 5320 was developed by Isis Pharmaceuticals as a systemic HIV inhibitor and progressed through human clinical trials. Thus, our development of ISIS 5320 for topical use will be expedited by the fact that nearly all preclinical pharmacology and toxicology testing has been completed.
ImQuest is currently developing our topical microbicide portfolio as single and combination agents with funding from the NIH. ImQuest is also working in collaborative ways with various organizations involved in microbicide research to facilitate the development of our microbicidal compounds. ImQuest anticipates that our most potent microbicide as well as a rationale combination of microbicides will be submitted for IND and clinical trial in 2007. |
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