Cumbre Inc. and collaborator publish on a novel bacterial RNA polymerase inhibitor

Cumbre Inc. and University of Wisconsin-Madison research collaborator publish data on a new class of bacterial RNA polymerase inhibitor

Cumbre Inc., a privately held biopharmaceutical company, announced today the publication of a research paper in the October 24, 2003 issue of Science entitled “A new class of bacterial RNA polymerase inhibitor affects nucleotide addition.” The paper describes the identification and characterization of the novel “CBR703” class of inhibitors through combined efforts in biochemistry, genetics and structural modeling with contributions from both Cumbre researchers and scientists from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Co-author Robert Landick, Ph.D., a Professor of Bacteriology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, whose laboratory is primarily focused on studies of regulatory mechanisms that control gene expression in bacteria, commented, “The Cumbre RNA polymerase inhibitors are a major breakthrough. They give us a powerful new tool to study the mechanism of the central enzyme in the process of gene expression. At least as importantly, they also hold great promise for the development of new antibiotics that target bacterial pathogens, which is now a high-priority need in both medicine and bio-defense.”

A. Simon Lynch, Ph.D., Cumbre’s Director of Research, added “We are excited about the development potential of the CBR703 series, and are pleased to be able to contribute to the RNA polymerase research community through provision of a novel experimental tool. We hope that ongoing efforts to determine high resolution X-ray structures of RNA polymerase-inhibitor complexes will both aid Cumbre’s antibiotic development program and yield additional insight regarding the fundamental processes underlying the transcription elongation cycle.”

Cumbre, a privately held biopharmaceutical company founded in February 2001, is solely focused on the discovery, development, and commercialization of novel antibacterial therapeutics. Discovery programs combine unique target-directed biochemical screens with a novel cell-based approach. The most advanced development program is directed toward the optimization of a novel compound series for activity against pathogenic bacteria growing in the biofilm state.