Amplyx Pharmaceuticals, Inc. chemically modifies small molecule drugs to improve efficacy while reducing toxicity. Our technology is used to create new chemical entities by attaching a small "ligand" to an existing drug to create a molecule with improved targeting. Our ligand causes concentration of the new drug at its target by binding to FKBP, a protein found only inside cells. Consequently, the Amplyx improved drug has higher concentration inside cells and is not metabolized or eliminated as quickly as the original drug without our ligand.
The Amplyx oncology program has created of a novel taxane derivative that has shown equivalent efficacy in a xenograft mouse model of breast cancer. In a rat study using mechanical allodynia (sensitivity to touch) as an indicator for peripheral neuropathy, our compound was significantly less toxic than paclitaxel. This result leads us to believe that our compounds will not cause peripheral neuropathy, the most common dose-limiting side effect for approved taxanes. We believe this compound has the potential to be both safer and more effective because it will allow patients to complete the full course of therapy.
Our antibiotic program involves the creation of a more effective injectable antibiotic of the carbapenem family. The market leading carbapenem suffers from a short half-life, and has low efficacy against infections within cells. Amplyx has synthesized and tested a carbapenem derivative with equivalent or improved potency (compared to the marketed drug) against a wide variety of infectious organisms. We believe that our new compound will be retained in the body longer and will have higher concentrations in human cells. This will increase efficacy since the concentration will be above the minimum inhibitory concentration for a longer time.
One of our lead compounds is a protease inhibitor for HIV/AIDS. Existing protease inhibitors require co-administration with ritonavir to avoid P450 metabolism and boost exposure. Ritonavir's side effects due to P450 interactions include disfigurement from changes in body fat (increased abdominal girth, "buffalo hump"), high fat levels in the blood, and onset or worsening of diabetes. Amplyx has created a protease inhibitor with 8x higher potency in cell infectivity assays relative the market leading protease inhibitor, and 29x higher exposure in mice without the co-administration of toxic ritonavir. The Amplyx protease inhibitor not only has the potential to reduce dehabilitating side effects, it could also avoid the serious drug-drug interactions between ritonavir and antibiotics, antifungals and other common medications.
The Amplyx core technology for adding our ligand can create best-in-class drugs for multi-billion dollar indications where decades of medicinal chemistry and targeting strategies such as attaching antibodies have failed. Conjugation of our small molecule with most existing small molecule drugs is an inexpensive and straightforward synthesis and the company has made and tested several promising pre-clinical drug candidates. Our basic technology is based on a license to six issued patents from Stanford University. We have filed thirteen additional patent applications on specific approaches and compounds.
Amplyx technology has the potential to improve potency and decrease toxicity for a wide variety of drugs including antibiotics, anti-virals, antifungals, cancer treatments (taxanes, camptothecin and doxorubicin), and cardiovascular drugs such as statins. We are currently seeking partnerships in these areas
The Amplyx management team and advisors comprises experienced, successful entrepreneurs, drug developers and academics including:
If you are interested in learning more about Amplyx and our mission to address serious health problems, please contact us:
Email to Elaine Heron, Chief Executive Officer