PfCLK3 Protein Kinase
Malaria Protein Kinase PfCLK3
is a potential curative, transmission blocking and prophylactic target for the treatment of malaria
Under development by KELTIC Pharma Therapeutics Ltd (Keltic Pharma), Dublin, Ireland
Malaria Protein Kinase PfCLK3
KELTIC Pharma Therapeutics Ltd (Keltic Pharma) was founded as an academic spin-out from the Glasgow University in 2020. Its business model is based on two platforms: the protein kinase PfCLK3 (as published in Science) as well as the application of its PEP-SMOL small molecule drug discovery platform to the development of therapeutical compounds against Respiratory and Neuropsychiatric diseases (as published in Sci. Transl. Med. 12).
In 2019 Prof Andrew Tobin published the validation of PfCLK3 as a target with breakthrough potential in the treatment of malaria. The successful drug development would provide a single medicine that is curative, transmission blocking and prophylactic.
PfCLK3 as a target meets the criteria, as set by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, of a validated target in malaria. Importantly, KELTIC Pharma´s discovery also offers a novel mechanism of drug action that, when combined with current standard of care treatments, reduces the risk of the emergence of resistance.
To deliver the project, Prof Tobin and his co-founders Prof Graeme Milligan and Dr Andrew Jamieson have created KELTIC Pharma in Dublin, Ireland. KELTIC Pharma will operate between its corporate office and pre-clinical team in Dublin, Ireland and a discovery centre in Glasgow, Scotland.
The EUMF funding supports KELTIC Pharma to launch a PfCLK3 anti-malarial drug discovery program and validate the PEP-SMOL platform to identify novel hit matter against GPCR biological targets.