eXegenics Inc announced the demonstration that enzyme targets to which it has proprietary rights can serve in the development of novel drugs to fight tuberculosis (TB).

eXegenics has obtained exclusive commercial rights from the University of California and the University of British Columbia to use the targets to create new drugs.

The research, conducted under the leadership of Dr. Yossef Av-Gay at the University of British Columbia, demonstrated a direct correlation between depletion of mycothiol and susceptibility to antibiotics. Thus, drugs that inhibit eXegenics' proprietary target enzymes that produce mycothiol may render the deadly tuberculosis germ susceptible to ordinary antimicrobial treatment and make treatment of TB simpler, easier and most cost-effective.

The research has shown that mycothiol is a compound that Mycobacteria (including the bacterium that causes tuberculosis) produce to protect themselves from antibiotic compounds. These mutant strains were found to possess increased sensitivity to the free radicals and alkylating agents, including ones that are produced in the body to defend against tuberculosis. They also became highly vulnerable to a broad range of antimicrobial drugs, including erythromycin, azithromycin, vancomycin, penicillin G, rifamycin and rifampin.

eXegenics recently announced that the company is advancing into pre- clinical development a series of drug lead candidates that demonstrate remarkable in vitro activity against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, a $2 billion per year healthcare problem.