Upstream’s anti-malarial agents found effective in animal testing

Researchers reported that the company’s anti-malarial candidates were well tolerated, with no signs of serious toxicity at likely therapeutic dosages suggested by initial in vitro efficacy experiments.

The new data represents the third set of positive toxicity results in animals obtained by researchers at Makerere University in Uganda for the company’s drug candidates for malaria, trypanosomiasis and leishmaniasis, diseases caused by related parasites. The candidates were discovered using advanced computational methods, and the good safety profile and encouraging in vitro anti-parasitic activity seen to date with this novel structural class add to the growing body of early data validating the potential of the company’s computational approach to drug discovery.

Joel Bellenson, CEO of Upstream, said: “We look forward to advancing these compounds, which may have the potential to contribute to the health and economic vitality of the large area of sub-Saharan Africa adversely affected by malaria, into further safety and efficacy testing in the coming months.”