Biotech Unveils Drug for Viral Infections Tied to Cervical Cancer
Summary
But the antiviral studies look pretty good,” said Karl Hostetler, an emeritus professor of medicine at UC San Diego, and the founding CEO of Hera Therapeutics.Research findings being presented in Seattle this weekend during the 29th Annual International Papillomavirus Conference show that HTI-1968, a small molecule discovered in Hostetler’s lab, blocked the replication of HPV-11, HPV-16, and HPV-18 in cultured human cell models.But that’s a big “if”—and a number of biopharmaceutical rivals are already in clinical trials with immunotherapy products to treat HPV infections or HPV-related cancers, including Pennsylvania’s Inovio Pharmaceuticals (NYSE: INO).He is an expert in the design, synthesis, and evaluation of antiviral drugs for poxviruses as well as for cytomegalovirus, herpes simplex, and other double stranded DNA viruses.He was previously a founder of three companies developing drugs to treat serious viral infections and cancer—San Diego-based Vical and two biotech’s in Durham, NC; Chimerix (NASDAQ: CMRX) and Triangle Pharmaceuticals, acquired by Gilead in 2003 for $464 million.