Discovered by BIOTEC research team together with the Medicines for Malaria Venture (MMV), the patented P218 compound was designed based-on 3-dimensional structures of malaria protein target, dihydrofolate reductase, in order to circumvent mutations that had led to resistance to pyrimethamine, a safe and previously effective drug for the treatment of malaria. Preclinical assessment of P218 compound under GLP standard was made in 2014-2015 under the collaboration between NSTDA and MMV. The results showed satisfactory safety profiles across a panel of required toxicology package in both in vitro and animal models (rodent and dog models) to demonstrate feasibility for First-in-Human (FIH) study.
P218 is the work of researchers from BIOTEC Protein-Ligand Engineering and Molecular Biology Laboratory. In developing anti-malarial drug, the team focuses mainly on two drug targets in folate metabolism, dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR) and dihydropteroate synthase (DHPS). For more information, please visit this website.