Progenra, Inc., announced today their receipt of an Official Notice of Allowance, dated June 15, 2010, of U.S. Patent Application No. 11/156,707, "Diagnostic and Screening Methods and Kits Associated with Proteolytic Activity." IP protection of this technology was also recently granted by the European Union. This technology will enable faster drug discovery by improving the ability to identify more selective drugs that modulate the handling of proteins associated with various disease states.
“This process condenses the timeline for drug discovery and in understanding drug efficacy and compatibility with the human body, while avoiding unnecessary expenditures associated with R&D.”
"This is a huge step forward, not only for Progenra, but for the industry," said Michael Mattern, COO of Progenra. "This process condenses the timeline for drug discovery and in understanding drug efficacy and compatibility with the human body, while avoiding unnecessary expenditures associated with R&D."
One of Progenra's objectives is to design and perfect assays for Deubiquitylases (DUBs) that mirror events within the cell resulting in a physiological effect. Older high throughput assays, which measure the removal of ubiquitin from a small molecule rather than a complex protein, have failed to identify DUB inhibitors of pharmacological value. Progenra's assay has identified physiologically relevant inhibitors that have demonstrated activity in cells as well as proof of concept in multiple "in vivo" models of human cancer. Progenra is actively looking for partnerships and/or licensing opportunities.
Researchers discover a safer and more efficient technique for testing new drugs