An Indiana Univ.
biochemist’s discovery of a class of anti-viral small molecules that
target the function of a virus DNA hidden in the infected livers of
hepatitis B patients may lead to a cure for this viral infection that
kills more than 600,000 people annually.
Adam Zlotnick, a professor of molecular and
cellular biochemistry in the IU Bloomington College of Arts and
Sciences, and four colleagues — chemistry professor Richard DiMarchi and
biochemistry visiting scholar William Turner, both of IU Bloomington;
Indianapolis biotechnology entrepreneur Derek Small; and infectious
disease researcher Uri Lopatin — formed Assembly Pharmaceuticals in 2012
to develop new anti-viral drugs based on Zlotnick’s discoveries. Novel
compounds based on these discoveries, known as Core Protein Allosteric
Modulators, or CpAMs, are capable of altering the activities of a core
hepatitis B protein that is essential for the virus’s continued
survival.
Despite the early stage of its pipeline, the
promise of Assembly’s novel approach attracted the interest of
Nasdaq-listed Ventrus Biosciences. Last week, Ventrus stockholders voted
to merge with Assembly to form a new company, Assembly Biosciences,
which is now trading on Nasdaq under the ticker “ASMB,” catapulting the
firm from new start-up to public company in less than two years.
Labels: Core Protein Allosteric Modulators, CpAMs, Research and Discoveries