NEW YORK, Sept. 6 – Myriad Genetics said Thursday that it found what it believes to be a drug target for hepatitis C and had already begun conducting high-throughput testing of the target.
The Salt Lake City-based company said it believes the drug target could represent a new way for treating viral diseases. The target was found using the company’s ProNet proteomics technology to look at viral protein interactions. Myriad has previously used the technique in its efforts to find drug targets for HIV and hepatitis B.
"Myriad's drug development pipeline has had a strong oncology focus and is strengthened by an exciting viral disease program as we advance our HIV, HBV and HCV programs," Adrian Hobden, president of Myriad Pharmaceuticals, said in a statement.
The company now has 141 active drug targets it is studying, stemming from over 1,000 proteins Myriad has analyzed. The company has begun high- throughput screening for 56 drug targets in cancer, heart disease, central nervous system diseases, diabetes, inflammatory disease, and viral infection.
Myriad also said it has 36 drug candidates under study and 12 advanced drug development programs.