Immtech International Inc announced publication of scientific data describing the activity of aromatic cationic molecules against the Bovine Diarrhea Virus (BVDV). BVDV is an RNA Flavivirus genus commonly found in cows, and is similar to both the human hepatitis C virus and the virus that causes West Nile infections.

Data on the activity of compounds screened in an assay that evaluates the total life cycle of viral propagation was presented. The scientists identified five Immtech compounds demonstrating exceptional efficacy, inhibiting propagation of the BVDV virus at low (nanomolar) concentrations with low toxicity. Such activity makes these compounds excellent candidates for advanced testing against the hepatitis C virus.

Stephen Thompson, President & CEO of Immtech said, "The results observed by our scientists demonstrate the promise of cationic molecules as anti-viral agents and possibly against hepatitis C. We believe that there is an advantage in having a reliable assay system that evaluates the complete viral life cycle for screening compounds for anti-hepatitis C activity. We are using the information generated from these studies to further evaluate specific cationic compounds for anti-hepatitis C activity."

While the exact mechanism by which these compounds exert anti-viral activity is unknown, their known capacity to interact with nucleic acids and inhibit proteases suggests multiple modes for anti-viral activity. Potential outcomes from this research include developing a drug to treat Bovine Diarrhea Virus infections in calves and preventing viral contamination of embryos during in vitro fertilization, placing Immtech in the multi-billion dollar animal health market. One of the lead candidates has advanced into research using bovine embryos to determine if the compound could prevent BVDV contamination of the embryos during in vitro fertilization and embryo transfer (BVDV infections are a common cause of abortion in cows).

The study demonstrated that the compound was safe to use during in vitro fertilization and that embryos developed after transfer resulted in the birth of normal calves. The successful elimination of BVDV from embryos implanted in cows can greatly reduce the abortion rate of calves during the in vitro fertilization process. This market can potentially be very profitable because in vitro fertilization is the most common method used to impregnate cows. This BVDV research was supported by a grant from the National Institutes of Health.