Alchemia and TetraQ to collaborate on pain treatments

Brisbane biopharma Alchemia (ASX:ACL) will commence a collaborative research project next year with the University of Queensland through its preclinical service provider, TetraQ to develop a new generation of opioid-based painkillers to treat severe pain.

The project will aim to identify new drug candidates that have similar or better painkilling abilities but fewer side effects than morphine and other opioid-based painkillers. Such side effects include respiratory depression and opioid induced constipation.

Alchemia will commit approximately $200,000 to the program over three years, while the University of Queensland received an ARC linkage grant for $372,000.

"A collaborative project is an ideal way for Alchemia to move forward with our early drug discovery program in the pain area while maintaining momentum with our later stage lead programs," said Alchemia CEO Dr Tracie Ramsdale said in a statement.

The collaboration will bring together Alchemia's VAST proprietary chemistry technology with the expertise of TetraQ. Established in May and operated through UQ's main commercialisation arm, UniQuest it is headed by Professor Maree Smith, one of Australia's leading researchers in the pain field.

TetraQ's laboratory facilities are currently being refurbished using an AUD$8.1 million grant from the Queensland government and TetraQ will seek GLP accreditation in 2006.

In November Alchemia raised AUD$14.6 million through a share placement and a share purchase plan worth $5 million closed on December 2. The company company is planning to move its lead anit-cancer candidate ACL16907 to clincial trials in 2006 and is scheduled to launch its generic Synthetic Heparin drug in 2008.