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- PharmAust (PAA) signs a research services agreement with the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute (WEHI) of Melbourne
- The companies will investigate PharmAust’s lead drug candidate, monepantel, on human T-lymphotrophic virus-1 (HTLV-1) infections which affects millions of people worldwide
- The HTLV-1 study will be conducted at the WEHI by a group led by Professor Marc Pellegrini
- PharmAust expects to receive preliminary data in December this year
- Company shares are up 2.11 per cent and trading at 9.7 cents
PharmAust (PAA) has signed a research services agreement with the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute (WEHI) of Melbourne.
Under this agreement, PharmAust and the WEHI will investigate the effects of monepantel (MPL) on human T-lymphotrophic virus-1 (HTLV-1) infections which affect between 10 and 20 million people worldwide.
HTLV-1 is a cancer-inducing virus that targets the immune system. The virus can cause a type of cancer called adult T-cell leukaemia/lymphoma (ATL) and is primarily transmitted through infected bodily fluids such as blood and breast milk.
MPL is PharmAust’s lead drug candidate and has been evaluated in phase two clinical trials in humans and phase two clinical trials in dogs. The treatment proved to be well-tolerated in humans and showed objective anticancer activity in dogs.
This work follows PharmAust’s COVID-19 program which aims to broaden the scope of targets for MPL’s potential antiviral activity.
The HTLV-1 study will be conducted at the WEHI by a group led by Professor Marc Pellegrini. Work will commence upon cell lines in culture and, depending on the outcomes, the group aims to then move from in-vitro to in-vivo preclinical models.
PharmAust Chief Scientific Officer, Dr Richard Mollard, was pleased to partner with the WEHI.
“PharmAust is pleased to have the opportunity to work again with Professor Marc Pellegrini’s group at the WEHI. While PharmAust continues MPL manufacture and tablet production for clinical trials, this work provides an excellent opportunity to build our MPL antiviral knowledge base.”
The company expects to receive preliminary data in December this year.
PharmAust’s shares were up 2.11 per cent and were trading at 9.7 cents at 12:16 pm AEST.
