2023/12/22
The Jikei University School of Medicine
Keio University
RIKEN
Kyoto University
Meiji Pharmaceutical University
In a joint research project, Lecturer Yutaka Furutani, Professor Shushi Nagamori, and Guest Professor Tomokazu Matsuura of the Department of Clinical Laboratory Medicine at The Jikei University School of Medicine; Project Associate Professor Hidenori Hirano of the Keio University Graduate School of Science and Technology; Unit Leader Naoshi Dohmae of the Biomolecular Analysis Unit, Center for Sustainable Resource Science at RIKEN; Team Leader Mikako Shirouzu of the Protein Function and Structural Biology Team, Center for Biosystems Dynamics Research; Team Leader Harukazu Suzuki of the Laboratory for Cellular Conversion Technology, Center for Integrative Medical Sciences; Professor Hideaki Kakeya of the Division of Systemic Chemotherapy and Molecular Sciences, Kyoto University Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences; and Professor Kaoru Kobayashi of the Laboratory of Pharmaceutics, Faculty of Pharmacy, Meiji Pharmaceutical University, have discovered iCDM-34, a new antiviral drug candidate expected to provide a complete cure for hepatitis B.
Nucleoside analog drugs currently used for hepatitis B are effective in suppressing viral replication, but they do not lead to a complete cure because the viral genome remains. This study found that iCDM-34 activates the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) and suppresses the synthesis of the viral genome through a mechanism different from conventional methods. This revealed that iCDM-34, when used in combination with nucleoside analog drugs, is a promising new antiviral drug candidate for a complete cure of hepatitis B. Furthermore, iCDM-34 can be developed as an inhibitor for various viruses, including HIV and the novel coronavirus.
Please see below for the full press release.