Trana Discovery and Southern Research Institute Prove Assay's Ability to Identify...

Trana Discovery and Southern Research Institute Prove Assay's Ability to Identify Compounds That Inhibit HIV Replication

Unique HTS Assay Capable of Selecting Compounds That Work by
Mechanism Other Than Inhibition of Reverse Transcriptase
CARY, N.C. & BIRMINGHAM, Ala.--(Business Wire)--Trana Discovery, a drug discovery technology company, today
announced that their recently-developed HIV high-throughput screening
(HTS) assay designed to identify compounds that inhibit the use of
transfer RNA (tRNA) by HIV has the ability to select compounds with
anti-HIV bioactivity. Because tRNA is essential for HIV replication,
disruption of the virus's ability to use tRNA appears to represent a
novel target for anti-HIV therapy.

In a recent live cell-based study, a subset of compounds
identified using the new Trana HIV 201 assay proved to inhibit the HIV
virus through a mechanism other than inhibition of reverse
transcriptase. The study was conducted in collaboration with and by
Southern Research Institute.

Scientists at Trana Discovery have invested years of research to
develop the patented technology that forms the basis for the assays
used to screen molecular libraries for tRNA inhibitors. The technology
centers on the anticodon stem loop (ASL) of tRNA and the importance of
nucleotide modifications within the ASL. The ability to synthesize
copies or mimics of the ASL with the modifications, just as they occur
in nature, is what overcomes previous barriers to high-throughput
screening and enables the application of Trana Discovery technology to
rapidly and methodically search for inhibitors of tRNA.

During tests at the High Throughput Screening Center at Southern
Research, several compounds were identified that responded to the
assay. In a cell-based study that followed, a subset of these
compounds was examined for their inhibition qualities in the
replication of the HIV-1 Ba-L virus using live Peripheral Blood
Mononuclear Cells (PBMC) and found to have anti-HIV activity. Further
testing indicated that antiviral activity was not due to inhibition of
reverse transcriptase, the mechanism of action of many of the
currently available HIV therapies.

"The screen is interesting in that it identified compound classes
that are different from that of known antivirals," said Lucile White,
manager of the Southern Research High Throughput Screening Center. "As
a consequence, this HTS assay may lead to the identification of leads
which inhibit viral replication by a unique mechanism."

"The Trana HIV 201 assay gives pharmaceutical companies the
ability to rapidly and efficiently screen vast libraries of
compounds," said Steve Peterson, CEO of Trana Discovery. "For those
companies that hold collections of bioactive compounds of an unknown
mechanism of action, application of our assay could possibly help
identify very quickly a totally new class of treatment for HIV. The
fact that drug resistance continues to be a major challenge for
managing patients with HIV and with increasing numbers of individuals
who are being infected, we're very optimistic that the use of the
assay will identify new antivirals to help keep patients one step
ahead of the infection."

Trana Discovery is seeking partners holding diverse collections of
compounds or compounds with known bioactivity against HIV but unknown
mechanism of action to identify candidates for drug development.
Organizations interested in licensing the Trana HIV 201 assay, which
can screen up to 50,000 compounds per day, should contact Trana at
info@tranadiscovery.com or by calling 866-390-3452 (toll free) or
+1-919-342-6192. Parties interested in screening compounds using this
assay at Southern Research Institute facilities may contact David
Harris at d.harris@southernresearch.org or call +1-800-967-6774.

About Trana Discovery, Inc.

Trana Discovery, a drug discovery technology company, helps its
partners find novel classes of drugs for the treatment of serious
viral, fungal and bacterial infectious diseases. The technology
identifies compounds that work through a unique mechanism of action:
the target pathogen's ability to use transfer RNA (tRNA) in
replication. The use of Trana Discovery technology can unlock the
value - scientific, human, and financial - hidden in drug compound
libraries, expedite the discovery of new drugs and provide
opportunities for exclusive rights to new drug classes. 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.

About Southern Research Institute

Southern Research Institute is a not-for-profit organization that
conducts basic and applied research in drug discovery and preclinical
drug development, advanced engineering, energy production and
environmental areas. To date, Southern Research has discovered six
FDA-approved cancer drugs, an unsurpassed record in the pharmaceutical
industry. In addition, Southern Research has discovered six drugs that
are currently in late-stage development or clinical trials and has
evaluated approximately 50 percent of all FDA-approved cancer drugs.
For more information, please visit www.southernresearch.org.

Trana Discovery
Karl von Gunten, 919-931-1434
karlvongunten@tranadiscovery.com
or
Southern Research
Rhonda Jung, 205-581-2317
jung@southernresearch.org

Copyright Business Wire 2008