Through the collaboration, the companies identified a novel lead series of pan-metallo beta-lactamase inhibitors, which in combination with carbapenems, restores antibacterial activity against life-threatening clinical isolates while exhibiting no toxicity or developmental issues.
The collaboration of Argenta Antabio began in February 2013, when the Wellcome Trust awarded €4.7m to Antabio to fund the discovery of a safe and efficacious pan-inhibitor of bacterial metallo beta-lactamases (MBLs).
Argenta provided medicinal chemistry, computer-aided drug design and ADME/PK services, together with its integrated drug discovery expertise, to assist Antabio achieve its research goals.
Antabio CEO Marc Lemonnier noted to have achieved on schedule its first milestone in their collaboration with the Trust is a great satisfaction for its team, and a sign that solid foundations are in place for this discovery programme.
"We believe the therapeutic potential of a small-molecule pan-MBL inhibitor is very significant and will eventually improve the outcome for patients suffering from severe nosocomial Gram-negative infections. This milestone will support further lead optimization efforts to progress our compounds rapidly towards pre-clinical candidate nomination," Lemonnier added.