Professional News Tuesday: Kip Guy, UK Pharmacy Dean, continues work on promising anti-malarial drug
LONDON, Ky.
On Tuesday, Kip Guy, the dean of the University of Kentucky’s College of Pharmacy, shed some much-needed light on his ongoing work on a highly promising anti-malarial drug. This project, which has spanned nearly two decades, centres on a universally known yet largely overlooked disease — malaria.
Malaria: A Silent Killer
Malaria is a life-threatening disease transmitted between humans by a specific type of mosquito commonly found in tropical countries. While it is preventable and curable, its toll is fa from negligible. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the disease was responsible for an estimated 249 million cases and 608,000 deaths across 85 countries in 2022. A staggering 94% of these cases and 95% of the deaths were recorded in Africa, with children under the age of five accounting for about 80% of the malaria-related fatalities on the continent.
Guy’s interest in the disease is driven by three factors: its high mortality rate among young children, the disease’s biological and pharmacological resemblance to cancer, and the challenges in prevention access stemming from economic constraints.
The Anti-malarial Compound: SJ733
Guy’s research has resulted in SJ733, a novel anti-malarial compound that shows potential in combating the disease. This compound prompts infected red blood cells to become detectable to the host’s immune system, eventually leading to the elimination of these cells.
The Global Health Innovative Technology Fund recently announced an investment of approximately $5.4 million in the anti-malaria drug project between Eisai Co., Ltd. and the University of Kentucky. This funding will enable the team of researchers to continue work on this revolutionary drug that promises to save many lives in malaria-ravaged regions.
Next Stages: Phase 2 Trials
Phase 2 of the drug’s testing, dubbed the drug’s “first real-world test” by Guy, follows the initial Phase 1 trials. These included studies involving 38 healthy volunteers in Memphis, USA and Brisbane, Australia. Phase 2 will involve the same location in Peru as the Phase 2a study, testing the drug’s effectiveness on both major types of malaria in the patients presenting at the Clinica Selva Amazonica.
The goal is for SJ733 to curb relapse rates by eradicating the parasite during the first infection. Guy hopes the new investment can shorten treatment duration by supplementing the existing drug Tafenoquine with SJ733.
Despite not being a prevalent disease in the United States with about 1,500 cases annually, this groundbreaking research by Guy and his team will undoubtedly better the grim malaria situation in many tropical countries plagued by this disease.
