NEW YORK, Feb 11 (Bernama-BUSINESS WIRE) — Aptorum Group Limited (NASDAQ: APM) (“Aptorum Group”), a biopharmaceutical company focused on the development of novel therapeutics to address global unmet medical needs, announces further positive data from its current investigational new drug (IND)-enabling studies for ALS-4, a small drug molecule candidate indicated for the treatment of infections caused by Staphylococcus aureus (or “S. aureus”), including methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA, one of the “super-bugs”), based on a novel anti-virulence non-bactericidal approach. Subject to completion of the current studies, Aptorum Group targets to submit IND for ALS-4 in second half of 2020 and commence a phase 1 trial in North America.
ALS-4 is a small molecule which inhibits dehydrosqualene desaturase of S. aureus (incl. MRSA), an enzyme that is critically involved in the biosynthesis of staphyloxanthin, a commonly visible “golden pigment” covering the bacteria. Staphyloxanthin is believed to be primarily responsible for the bacteria’s defense mechanism against the attack from reactive oxygen species (ROS) deployed by phagocytic cells and neutrophils.¹