The researchers hope that the new drug will not suffer from the same kind of resistance problems as current treatments and, thanks to the grant, should be able to enter clinical trials within the next three years.
The search for an alternative flu drug has become all the more pressing as the full extent of resistance becomes more widely understood. Both Roche’s Tamiflu and GlaxoSmithKline’s Relenza, the two drugs currently being stockpiled by governments in preparation for a global outbreak of bird flu, are inherently susceptible to resistance because of the way they work.
Although acting upon the same target on the influenza virus as existing treatments, the new drug molecules being developed are specific for a part of the virus that is unable to mutate, which means it should be impossible for the influenza virus to develop resistance.
“We are still in the very early stages of the development of this class of molecules into a drug, but the initial tests, and what we already know about how it works, are very, very encouraging,” said Dr Andrew Watts from the department of pharmacy and pharmacology at the University of Bath. “By the time the influenza virus becomes fully resistant to the drugs currently in use, we should have this as a viable alternative.”
Whilst Dr Watts will be making the molecules at the University of Bath, the initial trials on the influenza virus will be carried out by Dr Jennifer Mckimm-Breschkin at the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) in Melbourne, Australia.
CSIRO was instrumental in developing the world’s first anti-flu drug effective against all strains of flu. Dr McKimm-Breschkin was part of the team that developed Relenza, and she has also carried out much of the research on influenza drug resistance.
The researchers are currently narrowing-down the class of molecules they have discovered to identify the best candidate for developing a drug. They will then need to refine the delivery mechanisms and begin trials that will ensure its efficacy in patients.