Our research focuses on creating novel drugs for viral infections and related cancers.
Viruses can’t replicate on their own. They are obligate intracellular parasites and must take control of a host cell’s replication machinery. Losing control of its cell replication machinery is bad news for the host organism, so they have a number of mechanisms to guard against this outcome, ranging from intracellular defenses up to dedicated immune systems. Viruses, on the other hand, have developed mechanisms to neutralize or evade these host responses, so they can continue to hijack cells in order to make more viruses, leading to disease in the host.
At Pathfinder Pharmaceuticals, we are interested in the signaling pathways within cells that are triggered when viruses begin unauthorized replication. We are working to restore intracellular defenses and help patients fight off viral invasion at a cellular level.
Drugs that can restore defense pathways to a host cell offer potential treatment for a broad spectrum of viral infections, as well as some cancers. Some of the infections we are addressing now are:
• Viruses which can cause cancer, such as hepatitis C virus, papillomaviruses, and Epstein-Barr virus
• Viruses which can cause fatal complications in transplant and autoimmune patients, such as JC virus and BK virus
• Respiratory viruses, such as influenza and respiratory syncytial virus
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