A novel peptide aldehyde with activity against human cytomegalovirus in two different in vivo models

From academic research to founding a company: the story of AiCuris

This contribution describes the experiences with three careers: leading and building an academic research institute, heading a research area in a multinational pharma company and founding and leading a biotech company, which saw its first drug successfully enter the market in its 11thyear of existence. The three positions had very different challenges, the common denominator for success was good and innovative science. However, research in a commercial environment, in addition to scientific excellence, also means to demonstrate the likely commercial success of the particular research. The most challenging, but at the same time the most interesting mission was the foundation of a new company, securing the financial means and developing the drugs, which had been discovered, in the clinics.

A practical total synthesis of the microbial alkaline proteinase inhibitor (MAPI)

Diverse serine and cysteine proteases as well as alkaline proteinases and elastases play a crucial role in numerous biological processes. Natural peptide aldehydes such as the "microbial alkaline proteinase inhibitor" (MAPI, 1) are valuable tools to characterize novel enzymes and to study their function in nature. Within a drug discovery program we wanted to design and explore non-natural MAPI congeners with novel biological profiles. To that end we devised a simple, practical, and scalable synthesis of MAPI 1 from readily available amino acid building blocks. The modular nature of our approach allows convenient structural modification of the MAPI backbone.

A model of human cytomegalovirus infection in severe combined immunodeficient mice

Animal models for the evaluation of therapies against human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) are limited due to the species-specific replication of CMV. Models utilizing human fetal tissues implanted into SCID mice have been used but tend to be labor intensive and require human tissues. We therefore developed a model using HCMV-infected human foreskin fibroblasts (HFF) seeded onto a biodegradable gelatin matrix (Gelfoam). Infected HFFs are then implanted subcutaneously into SCID mice. We next evaluated two antivirals in this model. Treatment from days 0 to 5 with ganciclovir (GCV) produced a marginally significant reduction in viral titer while treatment from days 0 to 14 resulted in a more significant reduction in viral titers of 1.47 log(10)pfu/ml (P<0.0001). Viral titers were similarly reduced in a group receiving GCV treatment from days 7 to 14 post-implantation (1.50 log(10)pfu/ml, P<0.0001). Cidofovir therapy from days 7 to 14 reduced viral titers by almost 2 log(10)pfu/ml (from 3.51+/-0.31 log(10)pfu/ml in untreated animals to 1.56+/-0.40 log(10)pfu/ml in treated animals, P<0.0001). These results indicate that the Gelfoam-HCMV SCID mouse model is suitable for the in vivo evaluation of new antivirals against HCMV and is simpler and more convenient than previous models.

Pivotal role of animal models in the development of new therapies for cytomegalovirus infections

Since human cytomegalovirus (CMV) is extremely species specific and does not replicate in experimental animal tissues, animal models for the evaluation of antiviral agents for these infections have utilized surrogate animal viruses including murine CMV, rat CMV and guinea pig CMV. Murine CMV and rat CMV infections in normal and immunocompromised animals provide models of disseminated infection and are ideal for screening of new agents. While guinea pig CMV infection in immunocompromised animals also provides a model for disseminated disease, the model for congenital CMV is unique among all the experimental models. While these models have played a major role in the development of ganciclovir, foscarnet and cidofovir, they do not provide information directly related to human CMV, nor are they useful for evaluation of agents that are active only against human CMV. The SCID-hu mouse models in which human tissue is infected with human CMV has been very useful in the development of new antiviral agents such as maribavir and cyclopropavir. Collectively these experimental CMV infections provide a variety of models representing various aspects of CMV infection in humans that are highly predictive for antiviral efficacy in humans.

Oral activity of a methylenecyclopropane analog, cyclopropavir, in animal models for cytomegalovirus infections

We reported previously that purine 2-(hydroxymethyl)methylenecyclopropane analogs have good activity against cytomegalovirus infection. A second-generation analog, (Z)-9-[[2,2-bis-(hydroxymethyl)cyclopropylidene]methyl]guanine (ZSM-I-62, cyclopropavir [CPV]), has particularly good activity against murine and human cytomegaloviruses (MCMV and HCMV) in vitro. To determine the oral activity of this compound in vivo, BALB/c or severe combined immunodeficient (SCID) mice infected with MCMV and two models using SCID mice implanted with human fetal tissue and subsequently infected with HCMV were used. In MCMV-infected normal mice, CPV at 10 mg/kg of body weight was highly effective in preventing mortality when administered at 24, 48, or 72 h post-viral inoculation and reduced titers of virus in tissues of SCID mice by 2 to 5 log10. In one HCMV model, human fetal retinal tissue was implanted into the anterior chamber of the mouse eye and inoculated with the Toledo strain of HCMV, and in the second, human fetal thymus and liver tissues were implanted under the kidney capsule of mice and then inoculated with HCMV. In general, replication of HCMV in both types of implant tissue increased from 7 through 21 to 28 days and then gradually decreased to undetectable levels by 8 weeks postinfection. Oral treatment with 45 or 15 mg of CPV/kg initiated 24 h after infection was highly effective in reducing replication to undetectable levels in both models and was generally more effective than ganciclovir. These data indicate that the methylenecyclopropane analog, CPV, was highly efficacious in these four animal models and should be evaluated for use in HCMV infections in humans.

Oral treatment of murine cytomegalovirus infections with ether lipid esters of cidofovir

To improve the oral bioavailability of cidofovir (CDV), a series of ether lipid ester prodrugs were synthesized and evaluated for activity against murine cytomegalovirus (MCMV) infection. Four of these analogs, hexadecyloxypropyl (HDP)-CDV, octadecyloxyethyl (ODE)-CDV, oleyloxyethyl (OLE)-CDV, and oleyloxypropyl (OLP)-CDV, were found to have greater activity than CDV against human CMV and MCMV in vitro. The efficacy of oral treatment with these compounds against MCMV infections in BALB/c mice was then determined. Treatment with HDP-CDV, ODE-CDV, OLE-CDV, or OLP-CDV at 2.0 to 6.7 mg/kg of body weight provided significant protection when daily treatments were initiated 24 to 48 h after viral inoculation. Additionally, HDP-CDV or ODE-CDV administered twice weekly or as a single dose of 1.25 to 10 mg/kg was effective in reducing mortality when treatment was initiated at 24 h, 48 h, or, in some cases, 72 h after viral inoculation. In animals treated daily with HDP-CDV or ODE-CDV, virus titers in lung, liver, spleen, kidney, pancreas, salivary gland, and blood were reduced 3 to 5 log(10)-fold, which was comparable to CDV given intraperitoneally. These results indicated that HDP-CDV or ODE-CDV given orally was as effective as parenteral CDV for the treatment of experimental MCMV infection and suggest that further evaluation for use in CMV infections in humans is warranted.

Novel mouse models for the investigation of experimental drugs with activity against human varicella-zoster virus

Suitable small animal models for the testing of antiviral agents with activity against human varicella-zoster virus (VZV) have so far been lacking. Mice and other animals have been found to not be susceptible to VZV infection. The model of choice for drug development has been the infection of monkeys using simian varicella virus (SVV). However, while primates offer potential as models of human varicella disease, their use is limited as experimental models in antiviral research. We have developed two simple mouse models that support replication of human VZV in vivo. In the first, SCID mice were transplanted with human umbilical cord (umbilical cord cushion model) and subsequently infected with VZV. After infection, we were able to demonstrate increasing titres of viral DNA over a 9-day period. In the second model, biocompatible hollow fibres were used for encapsulation of VZV-infected cells. The hollow fibres were then transplanted into immunodeficient and immunocompetent mice and infectious virions were re-isolated. In addition, we demonstrated that both the umbilical cord cushion and the hollow fibre models are suitable tools to test antiviral compounds. Administration of BVDU ibrivudine, Helpin, (E)-5-(2-bromovinyl)-2'-deoxyuridine] significantly reduced the VZV titres in both models.