48Hour Discovery Inc. Announces COVID-19 Research Program

EDMONTON, Alberta--(BUSINESS WIRE)--48Hour Discovery Inc. announced today that it has initiated drug discovery projects for therapeutic targets related to COVID-19. 48Hour Discovery Inc. is using its proprietary technology to rapidly develop peptide-based anti-viral compounds for treatment of those infected with COVID-19.

The company is also working with external stakeholders and partners to provide access to their search platform to assist in rapid discovery services for other COVID-19-related projects, including test development and treatment options. 48Hour Discovery Inc. is currently investing its own resources to support its COVID-19 research but is looking for partners to speed development.

Background to 48Hour Discovery’s COVID anti-viral program
COVID-19 is an emerging pandemic threat, and there are currently no effective therapies to treat or prevent infection. The virus is a member of the coronavirus family, and shares similarities with the SARS coronavirus, which caused a similar pandemic threat in 2003.

Recently, the genome of COVID-19 was sequenced, and the crystallographic structures for several important viral proteins were determined. 48Hour Discovery Inc. proposes using this information in conjunction with the Company’s proprietary drug discovery platform to rapidly identify and optimize peptide drug candidates for use as anti-viral treatments for those infected with COVID-19.

About 48Hour Discovery Inc.
48Hour Discovery Inc. is a University of Alberta biotechnology spin-off company that develops peptide-based therapeutic drugs from billion-scale libraries of molecules. It uses phage display and high throughput next generation sequencing (NGS) to identify peptide ligands with high affinity for promising drug targets. Founded in 2017, 48Hour Discovery Inc. has a number of peptide discovery projects underway, including partnerships with five of the top pharmaceutical companies in the world.