Maxwell Biosciences, Inc., (MXB) a pre-clinical drug platform company focused on developing biomimetic therapeutics that improve upon natural immune system peptides based on its patented Claromer technology platform, announced that it has received promising data on activity against Ebola virus from a study conducted in collaboration with NIH-NIAID’s Rocky Mountain Laboratories (RML). RML is one of the few Biosafety Level (BSL) 4 labs in the United States with the capability to do this work.
The data showed one of Maxwell’s Claromer compounds is active against Ebola virus within the critical time frame required to address Ebola virus disease progression. Once a human is infected, Ebola virus disease can be lethal within 4-5 days.
The data shows how the Claromer compound is able to inhibit the virus’s growth for up to 72 hours at a lower concentration and up to 96 hours at a higher concentration. This is a world-first breakthrough for Maxwell’s small molecule drug candidate – currently, only monoclonal antibody products are licensed with activity against one ebolavirus strain, Zaire ebolavirus.
“Ebola virus has caused serious global outbreaks and due to its virulence and case mortality. Yet to date there is no effective small molecule drug for the virus,” said J. Scotch McClure, Maxwell’s CEO.
McClure continued: “I’m gratified for the support from the researchers at NIH-NIAID’s RML for their efforts to prepare for future outbreaks.”
Maxwell is currently developing its Claromer drug platform, which has the potential to replace almost all antibiotics, antifungals and antivirals. Ebola virus disease (EVD) is highly contagious and life-threatening, causing symptoms of fever, tiredness, headache, diarrhea, vomiting, as well as external and internal hemorrhage. It can quickly progress to multi-organ system failure, shock, then death. Even with the newest treatments available, Ebola virus disease has a greater than 30% fatality rate, with the average case fatality rate remaining at about 50%. Since the first outbreak in Africa in 1976, several outbreaks and epidemics of Ebola virus have occurred in Western and Central Africa.