SBIR-STTR Award

Essential Gene Drug Targets in Aspergillus fumigatus
Award last edited on: 12/22/04

Sponsored Program
SBIR
Awarding Agency
NIH : NIAID
Total Award Amount
$550,719
Award Phase
2
Solicitation Topic Code
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Principal Investigator
Daniel Tishkoff

Company Information

Elitra Pharmaceuticals Inc (AKA: RajyaBiotics)

3510 Dunhill Street
San Diego, CA 92121
   (858) 410-3030
   N/A
   www.elitra.com
Location: Single
Congr. District: 52
County: San Diego

Phase I

Contract Number: 1R43AI049694-01
Start Date: 00/00/00    Completed: 00/00/00
Phase I year
2001
Phase I Amount
$100,764
The frequency of invasive Aspergillus-related disease is rapidly increasing worldwide and few effective treatments are available, thus the need for novel antifungals effective against Aspergillus is critical. A high-throughput screen for essential genes will be undertaken in Aspergillus fumigatus. The genes identified will be developed as new antifungal targets. An expression vector system suitable for screening libraries in Aspergillusfumigatus has been developed. Phase I of this project includes modification and optimization of the expression vector and construction of libraries capable of identifying essential genes. Preliminary screening will begin in Phase I. Phase II of the project will entail improving and expanding the process, identifying all susceptible essential genes in Aspergillusfumigatus and developing screens for new antifungals based on these essential genes. Elitra's exclusive license to Incyte Pharmaceutical's PathoSeqTM database, which includes A. furnigatus sequence, will greatly expedite bioinformatic analysis of positives. The method proposed for identifying essential genes can be automated and is well suited for Aspergillusfumigatus, a haploid human pathogen not amenable to classical genetic analysis. PROPOSED COMMERCIAL APPLICATION: Elitra is creating a unique relational database of both targets and drug screens for major gene/protein targets across multiple pathogens. This database will markedly enhance the ability of Elitra and its corporate partners to make informed decisions about which novel targets to pursue. Elitra has built a unique, ultra rapid Gene-to-Screen technology platform that will allow miniaturized drug screens to be rapidly developed for any validated target in its proprietary database. Screening will be undertaken with Elitra's in-house chemical library of 250,000 plus compounds.

Phase II

Contract Number: 2R44AI049694-02
Start Date: 00/00/00    Completed: 00/00/00
Phase II year
2004
Phase II Amount
$449,955
The filamentous fungus Aspergillus fumigatus is quickly becoming a major threat to immunocompromised individuals such as transplant and chemotherapy patients, at a time when there are astonishingly few potent antifungal compounds available to control or cure these life-threatening infections. The goal of this Phase II project is to enable and improve screening for antifungal hit compounds that will yield novel classes of potent antifungal drugs. Under Phase I funding for this grant, we established proof-of-principle for a novel method of identifying essential genes in A. fumigatus based on conditional expression of random antisense (AS) RNA. Under Phase II funding we will apply this technology systematically, with the goal of defining and cataloging a significant number of essential genes in this organism. We will also exploit the regulated expression of target-specific AS-RNA to develop hypersensitive whole-cell drug screens capable of detecting target-specific inhibitors of fungal growth. The molecular techniques developed for A. fumigatus under Phase I funding have allowed Elitra to extend our previous Candida albicans-based target identification and validation efforts to a second important fungal pathogen. The availability of promoter replacements of particular genes of interest in both organisms will greatly expand our options for primary and secondary screening under Phase II funding and will thus greatly enhance our ongoing efforts to develop novel, broad-spectrum antifungal drugs.

Thesaurus Terms:
Aspergillus, expression cloning, fungal genetics, genetic screening, protein engineering, transfection /expression vector antifungal agent, antisense nucleic acid, complementary DNA, gene targeting, genetic library high throughput technology