Amura reports antigen presentation study results

Cambridge, U.K. - 7th April 2009

Amura Therapeutics Limited ("Amura") today announced that leading compounds from its cathepsin S (Cat S) inhibitor programme delivered outstanding results in a murine antigen presentation model of autoimmune disease.  The study was performed at the School of Pharmacy, University of London, a world leading research establishment for pharmaceutical sciences.

The study was designed to monitor the inhibitory effects of leading Amura Cat S inhibitors on the generation of collagen specific antibodies in mice immunised with bovine collagen.  Results showed that daily oral dosing of Cat S inhibitors reduced the level of collagen-specific antibodies by up to 80%.  It is anticipated that this level of inhibition will translate into a significant reduction in clinical and histopathological scores in the full collagen induced arthritis (CIA) model, the gold standard autoimmune model, in which Amura intends to evaluate its Cat S inhibitors for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis.

This animal efficacy data forms part of a comprehensive pre-clinical package for Amura's lead Cat S inhibitors, which combines pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic data, selectivity and safety assessments, with a fully scalable synthetic route and confirms that these superior molecules possess the necessary attributes for advancement into the clinic.

The Amura compounds were derived from its proprietary AMcore™ scaffold, which provides a turnkey solution for inhibitor design against cysteine peptidases of the CAC1 family.  Cysteine peptidases are involved in several diseases and the AMcore™ scaffold provides a powerful platform for discovery of drugs with potential utility against a range of commercially attractive therapeutic targets.

Amura intends to out-license its inhibitor programmes for clinical development and the lead molecule from this study and a first rate back-up molecule are now available for partnering.

Contact:

Dr Martin Quibell, Amura Thearpeutics Limited

+44 (0)1223 839797, martin.quibell@amura.co.uk