Trana Discovery Teams with Former Glaxo Executives to Fight Drug-Resistant Infectious Diseases
Company will commercialize North Carolina State University drug discovery technology
CARY, NC – A veteran team of five former Glaxo executives has joined Trana Discovery, Inc. (formerly known as Neos Discovery) to commercialize technology that identifies drug compounds that interrupt the lifecycle of pathogens through a novel mechanism of action - the inhibition of transfer ribonucleic acid (tRNA). The use of this technology can unlock the value – human and financial – hidden in drug compound libraries that can lead to new classes of drugs used to treat serious bacterial and viral infectious diseases.
Trana Discovery was founded by a biochemistry science team at North Carolina State University and the Technical University of Lodz, Poland, who understood the importance of tRNA in the spread of infectious disease. With the addition of the fellow Glaxo alumni, including Steve Peterson, now CEO of Trana Discovery, the company has in-depth experience in drug discovery and development, and first-hand knowledge of the pharmaceutical industry’s needs for new anti-infectives.
"The need for new, effective treatments for infectious diseases is growing rapidly in the world today," said Peterson. "The emergence of resistant viral and bacterial strains requires the addition of new treatment modalities to keep infections such as HIV and tuberculosis in check."
As infectious organisms are selected as targets, a unique probe is employed in a high-throughput screening process to identify compounds that possess tRNA inhibitory activity. By inhibiting the role of tRNA and crippling protein assembly, protein synthesis cannot proceed, thus stopping pathogen growth and the spread of infection. Drug companies can discover new applications for existing drug compounds that might have otherwise been missed using traditional screening assays.
Broad Range of Applications
The proprietary technology can be applied to a broad spectrum of infectious diseases, including chronic diseases such as HIV, bacterial diseases caused by multi-drug resistant strains and resistant fungal diseases. The initial technology available for use is designed to identify inhibitors of tRNA used by HIV during viral replication. In the future, Trana Discovery technology will enable scientists to discover novel inhibitors of emerging infectious diseases, both naturally occurring and manmade, and in underserved areas such as drug-resistant tuberculosis and malaria. Company scientists also hope to discover new compounds for biodefense-related diseases such as pneumonic plague and anthrax.
"Our technology helps to increase success rates and shorten the time between drug discovery and availability," said Peterson. "Organizations can place greater numbers of drugs in the development pipeline at a lower cost."
Other members of the Trana Discovery management team include Winnell Newman (Co-Founder, President), Richard Guenther (Co-Founder, Chief Technical Officer), Dan Mitchell (Chief Science Officer), Michael Gallucci (Chief Financial Officer), Ron Stanton (Vice President, Business Development) and Ed Gallagher (VP, Intellectual Property).
Funding for most of the research to date has been through NIH and National Science Foundation grants. Recently, Trana Discovery has secured private funding for the continuation of further proof of concept work, new assay development, laboratory setup and preparation of additional grant applications.
Trana Discovery is collaborating with pharmaceutical companies, government agencies, and academic institutions to employ its screening technology on their clients' compound libraries. Collaboration and licensing agreements for development and commercialization of discoveries are arranged on a case-by-case basis.
About Trana Discovery, Inc.
Trana Discovery is a drug discovery company whose technology identifies compounds that interrupt the lifecycle of pathogens through a novel mechanism of action - the inhibition of transfer RNA (tRNA). tRNA is essential for the growth of bacteria, fungus and protozoa and for the spread of infectious diseases. The use of Trana Discovery Technology can unlock the value – human and financial – hidden in drug compound libraries; can shorten the time between drug discovery and availability; and can lead to new classes of drugs used to treat serious bacterial and viral infectious diseases. Trana Discovery is commercializing technology that has been under development for nearly 20 years at North Carolina State University. The company is located in Cary, North Carolina. For more information, please visit www.tranadiscovery.com .
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