Epitope Inc.'s collaboration with SmithKline Beecham plc todevelop anti-malaria treatments expired Tuesday with no newcorporate partner in sight.

Epitope of Beaverton, Ore., continues looking for morepromising analogs of a compound designed to deprive themalarial parasite of certain needed proteins at a point soonafter it infects humans, said Gilbert Miller, Epitope's executivevice president. The company will also look for a new corporatecollaborator, Miller said. SmithKline announced plans to dropthe collaboration with Epitope last February.

"The (future) level of activity will depend on whether we findanother partner," Miller said. An early formulation of thecompound worked well against malaria in in vitro testing, butshowed limited efficacy when tested in mice, which quicklysecreted the compound in their urine.

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