Kemin, a subsidiary of Kemin Industries of the USA, was set up in January 2001 with the purpose of developing a targeted library of compounds that could serve as leads for anti-infective drug development. Unlike other library companies, Kemin uses a proprietary pre-screening program to develop targeted libraries of compounds likely to have a higher success rate.

The latest agreement, with the US Army Medical Research Institute for Infectious Diseases (USAMRIID), extends Kemin's in-house research programmes, which are aimed at identifying molecules effective against cytomegalovirus, hepatitis C virus and Herpes simplex virus.

Since its formation, Kemin researchers have isolated and are currently conducting preclinical trials on six compounds and are conducting Phase II trials on another compound.

The company is one of a number of new firms focusing on carbohydrates, whose role in cellular signalling a recognition has been underestimated for years as more attention has been focused on proteins.

Kemin's carbohydrates are part of a new class of molecules being screened that have thee dimensional structures, several chiral centres and new modes of action, according to Benedict Sas, the company's general manager.

"There are few pharmaceutical compounds with chiral centres, because most are flat molecules," he said. Take the compound into three dimensions, says the firm, and you can reap benefits in terms of enhanced specificity and activity.