MediQuest Therapeutics Receives NIH Funding

(Seattle, WA - June 2, 2003) MediQuest Therapeutics, Inc., a drug discovery company targeting pathological proliferative diseases, today announced that, in a collaborative research venture with Dr. Sunil David at University of Kansas, MediQuest will receive funding via a subgrant on a 5 year, $1.125 million grant from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

The grant, which is titled "Hydrophobic Polyamine Amides as Anti-endotoxin Agents" was submitted by the University of Kansas and MediQuest to the NIH in response to its request for "Partnerships for Novel Therapeutic, Diagnostic and Vector Control Strategies in Infectious Disease." The research will focus on the design, synthesis, and biological testing of polycationic compounds, extensions of MediQuest's current library of small molecule compounds, in biological assays developed by Dr. David. Successful drug candidates emerging from the research collaboration may be useful in the treatment of sepsis, a spectrum of clinical conditions caused by an inflammatory immune response to infection or trauma. Sepsis is a major cause of morbidity and mortality in intensive care units and the 11th leading cause of death in the United States.

"This exciting project brings together MediQuest's expertise in targeted combinatorial synthesis of focused libraries and the screening technology and biological evaluation tools available at the University of Kansas, in addressing a common and serious clinical problem" said Dr. Sunil David.

Dr. Mark Burns, MediQuest's Director of Chemistry, added, "We at MediQuest are pleased to collaborate with a scientist of Dr. David's caliber. We believe his insightful targeting of the biological events underlying the initiation of sepsis holds great promise for the treatment of this deadly disease."