| abstract |
The present invention relates to pyridylpyrimidine derivatives of the general formula (I) : wherein R represents hydrogen or methyl and Z represents nitrogen containing functional groups, the use of the pyridylpyrimidine derivatives as pharmaceutically active agents, especially for the prophylaxis and/or treatment of prion infections and prion diseases, as well as compositions containing at least one pyridylpyrimidine derivative and/or pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof. Furthermore, the present invention is directed to methods for preventing and/or treating prion infections and prion diseases using said pyridylpyrimidine derivatives. Human cellular protein kinases, phosphatases and cellular signal transduction molecules are disclosed as targets for detecting, preventing and/or treating prion infections and diseases, especially BSE, vCJD, or CJD, which can be inhibited by the inventive pyridylpyrimidine derivatives. |