Avexa forms new research partnerships

Near enough isn't good enough when it comes to structure-based drug design and medicinal chemistry. That's the reasoning behind Avexa's (ASX:AVX) new collaborations with Melbourne's St Vincent's Institute of Medical Research and the Shanghai Institute of Organic Chemistry (SIOC), according to CEO Julian Chick.

Chick explained that although Avexa already has a lead series of compounds for its HIV integrase program, the collaboration with St Vincent's would help the company design and optimise better inhibitors of the HIV integrase enzyme using crystallography and computational chemistry.

The second new collaboration with the Shanghai Institute of Organic Chemistry, part of the Chinese National Academy of Science will increase the medicinal chemistry resources available to Avexa. SIOC is both a low-cost centre and one that is internationally known for its chemistry expertise, Chick said.

Chick said Avexa aimed to move one of the lead compounds into an animal proof of concept trial by 2005. Avexa, a spin-off from Amrad (ASX:AML), listed on the ASX in September.