George Holan

Evidence of dual sites of action of dendrimers: SPL-2999 inhibits both virus entry and late stages of herpes simplex virus replication.

Dendrimers are macromolecules with broad-spectrum antiviral activity and minimal toxicity effective in animal models in preventing transmission of herpes simplex virus (HSV) infection. In order to further understand the mechanism of action, and toxicity profiles of the dendrimer SPL-2999 against HSV, we investigated in vitro activities as follows: modified plaque reduction assays for SPL-2999 showed that 50% effective concentrations (EC(50)) determined by pre-treatment of cells with SPL-2999 were 0.5 microg/ml (30 nM) for HSV-2 and 1 microg/ml (60 nM) for HSV-1, respectively. SPL-2999 was not toxic to Vero cells at concentration up to the highest tested (CC(50) greater than 1000 microg/ml). SPL-2999 appears to completely inhibit both viral adsorption and penetration to Vero cells at concentrations of higher than 3 microg/ml. Additionally, virus yield reduction assay showed that SPL-2999 was effective on cells already infected with HSV with EC(90)s (effective concentration giving 90% virus yield reduction) approximately 29.2 microg/ml for HSV-1 and 6.7 microg/ml for HSV-2. When Vero cells were infected with HSV at moi (multiplicity of infection) of 0.01 pfu/cell, the infected cells could be completely protected from viral cytopathic effect (CPE) by SPL-2999 with EC(90)s (effective concentration that protects 90% of cells from virus lysis) of 15 microg/ml for HSV-1 and 10 microg/ml for HSV-2. Results from Southern blot hybridization indicated that SPL-2999 inhibited DNA synthesis in HSV infected cells. We conclude that SPL-2999 inhibits both HSV entry into susceptible cells and late stages of HSV replication. Our data indicate that SPL-2999 is a potent inhibitor of both HSV-1 and -2 with the potential for further development as either a topical microbicide or a therapeutic agent.

Mutations in Both env and gag genes are required for HIV-1 resistance to the polysulfonic dendrimer SPL2923, as corroborated by chimeric virus technology

A drug-resistant NL4.3.SPL2923 strain has previously been generated by in vitro selection of HIV-1(NL4.3) in the presence of the polysulfonic dendrimer SPL2923 and mutations were reported in its gp120 gene (Witvrouw et al., 2000). Here, we further analysed the (cross) resistance profile of NL4.3/SPL2923. NL4.3.SPL2923 was found to contain additional mutations in gp41 and showed reduced susceptibility to SPL2923, dextran sulfate (DS) and enfuvirtide. To delineate to what extent the mutations in each env gene were accountable for the phenotypic (cross) resistance of NL4.3.SPL2923, the gp120-, gp41- and gp160-sequences derived from this strain were placed into a wild-type background using env chimeric virus technology (CVT). The cross resistance of NL4.3.SPL2923 towards DS was fully reproduced following gp160recombination, while it was only partially reproduced following gp120- or gp41-recombination. The mutations in gp41 of NL4.3/SPL2923 were sufficient to reproduce the cross resistance to enfuvirtide. Unexpectedly, the reduced sensitivity towards SPL2923 was not fully reproduced after gp160-recombination. The search for mutations in NL4.3.SPL2923 in viral genes other than env revealed several mutations in the gene encoding the HIV p17 matrix protein (MA) and one mutation in the gene encoding the p24 capsid protein (CA). In order to analyse the impact of the gag mutations alone and in combination with the mutations in env on the phenotypic resistance towards SPL2923, we developed a novel p17- and p17.gp160-CVT. Phenotypic analysis of the NL4.3.SPL2923 p17- and p17.gp160-recombined strains indicated that the mutations in both env and gag have to be present to fully reproduce the resistance of NL4.3.SPL2923 towards SPL2923.

Dendrimers As Drugs: Discovery, Preclinical and Clinical Development of SPL7013 Gel (VivaGel™), a Dendrimer Based Microbicide for HIVand STI Prevention

Starpharma focuses on the use of dendrimers as drugs in their own right – in contrast to dendrimers as drug delivery vehicles or diagnostics. Dendrimers offer a unique platform for exploring chemical diversity on the nanoscale and the production of dendrimer libraries covering a diverse array of macromolecular structures can be used in drug discovery and development. One pharmaceutical application of dendrimers that Starpharma is pursuing is the development of microbicides for the prevention of HIV and sexually transmitted infections (STIs). This presentation will describe the dendrimer drug discovery and lead candidate selection process from which SPL7013 emerged as a microbicide development candidate. Pivotal preclinical data will be presented that lead to Starpharma submitting an Investigational New Drug application (IND) for SPL7013 gel (VivaGelTM) to the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in June 2003, the first such submission for a dendrimer based drug. Finally, results of the first clinical trial under this IND will presented. from 2005 International Meeting of The Institute of Human Virology Baltimore, USA, 29 August – 2 September 2005