An institute for Molecular Bioscience (IMB) spin-off company has started pre-clinical testing of a new molecule with the potential to be a pain-killer for sufferers of chronic, debilitating pain.

Xenome Limited, a Brisbane-based biotech company is developing a new molecule to treat certain types of pain, for which there is currently a lack of effective treatment.

Co-founder and Head of Research at Xenome, Dr Roger Drinkwater, said: "The molecule has proved effective in animals in the treatment of chronic neuropathic pain."

"We will now commence a series of tests to confirm efficacy and begin studies to define the metabolic processing of the molecule as a part of the pre-clinical testing program. These will be followed by more formal toxicity studies, as a prelude to testing in humans."

The pain-killing molecule, known as a chi conopeptide, was found in a cocktail of compounds in the venom of a coneshell, a marine shellfish, common to the Great Barrier Reef, that uses its venom to paralyse prey. It represents a new class of molecules acting in a different way to others from this source.

In humans, chi conopeptide blocks the movement of noradrenaline -­ a nerve transmitter responsible for amplifying messages between nerve cells ­- with a resulting block on pain transmission.

Dr Drinkwater said an opportunity existed to revolutionise the treatment of pain over the next decade, when the global market for pain therapeutics is estimated to be worth US$30 billion per annum (AUS$58 billion).

The main advantage of the molecules being researched is their ability to target chronic pain experienced in the nervous system. This kind of pain is experienced by many patients, and opiate analgesics such as morphine are currently the only treatment method available.

"Intractable chronic pain is a common, seriously debilitating condition often generated by nervous system disorders, by diseases such as cancer and AIDS, and following major surgery. The new molecule could have broad application in the treatment of these chronic pain conditions," Dr Drinkwater said.

"Currently the primary drugs used for these conditions are the opiate analgesics which are often not well-tolerated by patients who require long-term treatment."

Xenome CEO Dr Tony Evans said the new class of molecules was a ground-breaking discovery that could generate important drug candidates, with the potential to add significant value to the company. He said pre-clinical testing could take between 12 and 18 months.

Dr Evans said the discovery of the new molecules, reported last year in the prestigious international journal Nature Neuroscience, stemmed from the work of the IMB Venom Research Group in a project led by Dr Richard Lewis and Professor Paul Alewood.

"In January 2000, Xenome obtained a worldwide exclusive licence to these molecules from UniQuest Pty Ltd, UQ's main commercial arm, and is currently developing them as potential pain therapeutics," he said.

Xenome was founded in January 2000 as a UQ spin-off company with start-up funding from Medica Holdings Ltd. Medica remains a major shareholder in Xenome, with other major shareholders including BioTech Capital Limited, an ASX-listed, Sydney-based, pooled development fund, and UniQuest.

The company has established state-of-the-art laboratories in Brisbane where it conducts research and development activities using molecular genetics, peptide chemistry and molecular pharmacology technologies.

Xenome focuses on the discovery of novel molecules, especially peptides from the venoms of Australian animals. Its research has led to the production of the world's largest library of molecules from these venoms which is now in demand by biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies in the USA and in Europe.

Research team

Dr Richard Lewis www.uq.edu.au/uqresearchers/researcher/lewisrj.html
Professor Paul F. Alewood www.uq.edu.au/uqresearchers/researcher/alewoodpf.html
Dr Iain A. Sharpe

Funding
1994­97 START ($1.75 million ­ includes $150,000 from AMRAD as part of a research collaboration between UQ and AMRAD); January 2000 $2 million invested by Medica Holdings Ltd to initiate the start-up of Xenome Ltd; 2000-­2002 NHMRC ($390,000); 2000-­2002 START ($1.65 million to Xenome Ltd);

November 2001 ($4.5 million investment in Xenome by BioTech Capital Ltd ($3.5 million) and Medica Holdings ($1 million) to fund the preclinical development of MrIA.

EMAIL
r.lewis.uq.edu.au
p.alewood@imb.uq.edu.au
discovery@xenome.com

WEB LINKS
www.xenome.com
www.imb.uq.edu.au

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