Anadys Pharmaceuticals to Receive Up to $1.2 Million From NIH for Development of Novel Antibacterials

SAN DIEGO -- Anadys Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company committed to the discovery, development and commercialization of novel medicines to treat chronic viral hepatitis and bacterial infections, announced that it has been awarded a Phase II Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The total expected grant amount is $1.2 million, payable over a period of two years.

The grant, entitled "Rational Design of Antibiotics Targeted at the Ribosome," will fund Anadys' efforts to develop novel antibacterials that inhibit ribosomal function in drug-resistant bacteria. The ribosome is a complex of RNA and protein molecules essential for the survival of all cells. Specifically, Anadys intends to use its structure-based drug design capabilities to develop small molecules that recognize the ribosomal RNA decoding site (A-site) in order to select an antibacterial drug candidate that can disrupt the function of the ribosomal RNA, thereby inhibiting bacterial growth.

"The bacterial ribosome is an attractive and clinically proven antibacterial target that offers the opportunity to develop new classes of antibiotics," said Steve Worland, PhD, Anadys' chief scientific officer. "Using our structure-based drug design and optimization capabilities, we believe that we are in a position to efficiently develop novel antibiotics that target bacterial RNA structures, overcome known mechanisms of bacterial resistance and retain potent antibacterial activity."

Source: Anadys Pharmaceuticals, Inc.