Pipeline
Natural Products Program
Trius' natural products program is focused on identifying and developing novel antibiotics directed against broad spectrum (gram-positive and gram-negative) bacterial pathogens. In this program, we use our proprietary Focused Antisense Screening Technology (FAST) discovery platform to rapidly identify the targets of antibacterial compounds from marine natural product libraries developed at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California, San Diego. Having identified antibacterial compounds of interest, we then apply our structure-based drug design (SBDD) capabilities to optimize these compounds for activity against broad spectrum (gram-positive and gram-negative) bacterial pathogens.
This program is initially funded through our DTRA contract, which may provide up to $29.5 million of funding for the development of antibacterial compounds up to submission of Investigational New Drug Applications, for biodefense purposes, subject to the achievement of program milestones. The initial focus of this program is to identify and develop antibiotics targeting gram-negative pathogens such as Yersinia pestis, Francisella tularensis and Burkholderia pseudomallei for use as countermeasures for multiple biodefense threats. We believe that the compounds identified and developed in this program may also be used to treat drug-resistant hospital acquired infections caused by gram-negative pathogens.