The TB Alliance reached another important milestone in the portfolio building process on April 22. We announced the launch of a two-year project to synthesize and optimize novel quinolone compounds at the Korea Research Institute of Chemical Technology (KRICT).
This is the first time that quinolones, a family of broad-spectrum antibiotics now used to treat drug-resistant TB strains, will be directly explored to become candidates for a new antituberculosis drug. Recent research suggests that quinolones have the sterilizing and bactericidal properties necessary to shorten and simplify first-line therapy.
Under the terms of the agreement, the TB Alliance acquires one lead compound in the preclinical stage that has demonstrated activity and specificity for tuberculosis. In addition, the project aims to yield up to three lead candidates to the TB Alliance portfolio for further development.
Dr. Maria Freire said, “The prospect of a potent, first-line quinolone brings us closer to our goal of a better, faster TB treatment accessible to all patients in need. As we bolster the TB Alliance's portfolio of drug candidates, we embark on our first East-Asian partnership and enlist the research and development capacity in regions with a high TB burden.”
At a press event at the Ministry of Science and Technology in Seoul, Korea, Dr. Choong Sup Kim, President of KRICT said, "Korea is not immune to TB, and we hope that our contribution in optimizing quinolones will be an asset to TB's challenges, particularly at home. Dr. Tae-Ho Park and all KRICT's researchers eagerly join the global fight against one of humanity's deadliest infectious foes."