August 7, 2025 In collaboration with Jim Sacchettini's lab at Texas A&M, we co-published a manuscript highlighting our 5-year journey to optimize a preclinical candidate that targets the acyltransferase domain of Pks13, a key node in cell wall biosynthesis for Mycobacterium tuberculosis. It's a big accomplishment was delivering a drug candidate, but it's also a wonderful accomplishment to publish in Nature. Our manuscript explores the elegant structural biology, chemistry, biochemistry and biology that was generated from >40 authors (one of which is two-time Nobel laureate Barry Sharpless!) on our lead compound, CMX410.
Friday 13, 2024 What an auspicious day to initiate a clinical trial, right? But the Calibr TB couldn't be happier to see the clinical team at Gate MRI make a significant investment into CLB073 (now named TBD11) to understand the tolerability, safety and pharmacokinetics in human volunteers with a Phase 1 trial. If successful, Gates MRI has an aggressive strategy to move this asset into a Phase 2 study. The full study will complete in the first quarter of 2026.
October 28, 2024 The atovaquone prodrug, MMV371, developed by the Calibr malaria team and licensed out to MMV has become the first long-acting injectable (LAI) for malaria prevention to be tested in the clinic. There has been growing support for a significant role in LAIs to help control and prevent malaria within endemic regions. In particular, a LAI may be particularly effective in regions that experience seasonal malaria. The hope is that a single injection could be protect individuals, and by extension the greater community, for at least 3 months.
June 12, 2024 Dr. Anil Gupta, a friend and colleague, accepted MMV's Project of the Year award for development of a long-acting, oral compound, CMQ069. Arnab Chatterjee and Anil led the medicinal chemistry optimization for this compound series. We are now testing the safety of this compound with the hopes of advancing this compound into the clinic. Anil's interview with MMV can be here.
February 15, 2023 Calibr has officially licensed out CLB073 to the Gates Medical Research Institute (Gates MRI) to advance this promising small-molecule activator of adenylyl cyclase (CyA; Rv1625c) into IND-enabling studies to support clinical development. It's exciting to see our first molecule from our team continue to move toward the clinic.
March 15, 2022 Today, Calibr and AbbVie announced a partnership to advance promising direct-acting antiviral compounds into clinical development for the treatment of COVID. This success is built on an intense 2-year effort to build up a BSL3 drug discovery workflow from scratch to support an astonishing medicinal chemistry effort to deliver a direct-acting antiviral in a relatively short period of time. With some good fortune, we hope to see the first compound advance into clinical trials in the near future.
December 20, 2021 We have a new addition! Brianna Lee, a very recent graduate of nearby San Diego State University, has joined Melissa's team and will be an integral member of the cryptosporidiosis drug discovery program. It's great to have an Aztec on our team.
June 3, 2021 Congratulations to Malina, Karen, Melanie, Laura and Kastin for their publication in Nature Communications! This manuscript captures the beginning of our collective efforts, in collaboration with Scripps Research, to discover new medicines to treat or prevent COVID-19. This work was primarily carried out in the BSL3/ABSL3 facilities and represents a phenomenal effort to develop an in vitro and in vivo workflow on a new virus in a matter of months. The effort, dedication and skill of everyone involved is unmatched and it has been my pleasure to be a part of the team.
June 2, 2021 Carolina has arrived! Her kinetoplastid experience will be put to great use as a member of Malina's team. Welcome!
April 19, 2021 Welcome Krittikorn! We're excited to have you join the malaria drug discovery team.
March 25, 2021 Congratulations to Kastin Pan, our long-time intern, for earning her Bachelors degree from UC, San Diego! Kastin is a hard-working, gifted researcher and wonderful human. We're excited for her to continue her development as a member of Malina's research team.
January 4, 2021 Kick-off of the 3-year grant from the Wellcome Trust which will fund Calibr to be a NTD Flagship in drug discovery for Dengue fever, schistosomiasis, cryptosporidiosis, leishmaniasis, and Chagas Disease.