18 June 2013 - 18 June 2013 - Canadian Isotechnika Pharma Inc (TSE:ISA) said today it had obtained additional government funding to advance research on its non-immunosuppressive cyclophilin antagonist molecules (NICAMs) programme.

The National Research Council Industrial Research Assistance Program (NRC-IRAP), which provided the funding, is involved in networking the NICAM programme with important global partners and previously assisted Isotechnika in late-stage screening of several NICAM compounds, including evaluation of anti-hepatitis C virus (HCV) activity. The company added that these assessments have also been backed by the US National Institutes of Allergy and Infectious Disease (NIAID) and that they have resulted in the identification of a lead NICAM compound – 440-02 – for development as an anti-HCV agent.

The current project will further define the scope of 440-02 activity by evaluating its actions on several HCV genotypes and in combination with other anti-viral agents, Isotechnika said further.