Open Source Drug Discovery for Malaria

We’re starting a new project – open source drug discovery for malaria. Initially the participants are my group at the University of Sydney and the Medicines for Malaria Venture (MMV), but naturally as an open project we need to expand beyond this. If you’re reading this, you can join us.

In brief the idea is this: we start with some known compounds released into the public domain as part of the 2010 deposition of data by GSK Tres Cantos and others. These lead compounds, selected by a team at MMV, will first be resynthesised and their activity confirmed. The initial funding we have received from MMV is intended to achieve this.

MMV have also committed funding to a “Linkage grant” we have submitted to the Australian Research Council for funding. We will hear whether we have been successful later in 2011, but those funds would then allow us to progress to a full medicinal chemistry/drug discovery project. i.e. the synthesis of analogs, and prosecution of a hit to lead campaign.