K-State licenses technology for coronavirus, norovirus compoundsBiotech company Cocrystal Pharma plans to pursue R&D of the drugs, including preclinical and clinical development March 2, 2020 K-State CVM virologists Yunjeong Kim (front) and Kyeong-Ok “KC” Chang (back), along with medicinal chemist, William Groutas, of Wichita State University, have developed technology K-State Innovation Partners has licensed to Cocrystal Pharma for possible antiviral drugs to treat coronaviruses and noroviruses. As global concerns surrounding the novel coronavirus COVID-19 continue to escalate, Kansas State University (K-State) has licensed a technology it says might lead to the production of an antiviral drug treatment. Biotechnology company Cocrystal Pharma has been granted an exclusive license to certain antiviral compounds in development at the university’s College of Veterinary Medicine (CVM). “The team at Cocrystal Pharma moved with a high sense of urgency to finalize the license negotiations,” says Bret Ford, director of business development and licensing at K-State Innovation Partners, the group that coordinated the agreement. “We look forward to watching them move with the same sense of urgency to advance our antiviral compounds toward human clinical trials.” K-State virologists, Yungeong Kim and Kyeong-Ok “KC” Chang, and William Groutas, a medicinal chemist at Wichita State University (WSU), have been using grants from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to develop human norovirus therapeutics. The research team recently received an additional $3.7 million to develop antiviral drugs to treat various human coronaviruses, including Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) and the emerging COVID-19. Cocrystal Pharma plans to pursue research and development of these antiviral compounds, including preclinical and clinical development. “This licensing agreement provides support to confront the emerging strain of coronavirus with urgency and caution,” says Bonnie Rush, DVM, MS, DACVIM, dean of K-State’s CVM. “The work of our K-State researchers is tremendously challenging and has never been more timely.” Though the research has primarily focused on human viruses, the K-State team says it has also resulted in important discoveries related to animal viruses, including feline enteric coronavirus (FECV). “We were able to utilize our knowledge and resources to develop a protease inhibitor for this animal viral disease along the way,” Kim says. “It is very encouraging for this suggests we are on the right track for our approach and also that we can contribute to improving animal health.” At this time, no antiviral drugs are available for human norovirus or coronaviruses, which include SARS, MERS, and COVID-19, the university says.
SponsoredFeline urinary health—meet a simple solutionUrinary health is complicated, but the solution doesn’t have to be. Our products nutritionally support urinary tract and bladder health at any stage. + Recommend Today
Suggested Veterinary Products Client Engagement & Communication ServicesIs telephone congestion pulling your people away from doing their best work? Do you often have clients on hold or voicemail boxes that are full? Do you have...ULTRA 12040Hf Portable X-Ray UnitFeatures 40-120kV, in 1kV increments and with its ripple-free HFG system, you can shoot up to 120kV, 40mA with full logic control operation. It also provides high resolution imaging at lower...
SponsoredFeline urinary health—meet a simple solutionUrinary health is complicated, but the solution doesn’t have to be. Our products nutritionally support urinary tract and bladder health at any stage. + Recommend Today