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PRESS RELEASE
July, 2007
European Union supports €3M Project to develop technology against a major
therapeutically relevant enzyme family
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DeZnIT (Design of zinc metalloenzyme targeted drugs using an Integrated
Technology approach) is a collaborative project between partners in Finland,
Italy, The Netherlands, Latvia, Denmark and UK
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DeZnIT will develop integrated technology for design of zinc metalloenzyme
inhibitors, relevant to major diseases such as cancer, inflammation and obesity
Under the EU Sixth Framework Programme (FP6) for Research and Development
3.2 million Euros have been awarded to the DeZnIT research
project. The main objectives of the DeZnIT program are to develop new drug
design technology specifically focused on the family of zinc metalloenzymes and
to use this technology to identify new candidate drugs. DeZnIT is a highly
integrated, pan-European, research project conducted by a consortium of seven
partners involving leading experts in computer-aided design, synthetic and
medicinal chemistry, structural biology and the molecular biology of these
enzymes. The project is coordinated by InhibOx, a biotechnology company based
in Oxford, UK.
Zinc is a biologically ubiquitous element and
is known to be indispensable for growth and
development. It is present, and essential, in
at least one enzyme of each of the six classes
established by the International Union of
Biochemistry. DeZnIT will focus on
therapeutically important zinc-containing
enzymes such as carbonic anhydrases,
histone deacetylases and ADAM/MMP.
Drug design against zinc enzymes is
challenging because of specific problems
associated with interacting with the metal
atom. By combining new theoretical and
computational approaches to drug design
with world-leading expertise in the biology
of these enzymes and the synthesis of
inhibitors, DeZnIT aims to make a major
contribution to our understanding of these
enzymes and enhance our ability to design potential candidate drugs.
The DeZnIT consortium
Four research groups and three SME companies join forces in the DeZnIT consortium.
Each group contributes specific expertise that is required for this project.
1. InhibOx Ltd, Dr. Paul W. Finn (Co-ordinator), UK
2. TopoTarget A/S, Dr. James Ritchie, Denmark
3. Key Drug Prototyping, Dr. Flip Hoedemaeker, The Netherlands
4. Latvian Institute of Organic Synthesis, Dr. Peteris Trapencieris, Latvia
5. University of Tampere, Professor Seppo Parkkila, Finland
6. University of Florence, Professor Andrea Scozzafava, Italy
7. University of Oxford, Professor W. Graham Richards, UK
Further information
For more information please contact Dr. Paul Finn, InhibOx Ltd.
phone: +44 1865 811185, e-mail: [email protected]