Arrowhead
Research Corporation announced today that its new
wholly-owned nanobioscience subsidiary has changed its name from "C
Sixty Acquisition Corp." to "Tego BioSciences Corporation." The
subsidiary recently acquired the assets of C Sixty, Inc. and is focused
on the development of new protective products based on the anti-oxidant
properties of modified buckministerfullerenes (also known as fullerenes
or buckyballs). Tego is initially developing products to reduce
oxidative damage caused by sun exposure, radiation therapy, and
chemotherapy and mitigate complications associated with organ
transplantation and tissue engineering.
"Tego is set to commence preclinical animal studies in
collaboration with the National Cancer Institute this summer," said R.
Bruce Stewart, Chairman of Arrowhead. "Tego is in the process
of assembling a business and technical team with expertise in
nanoparticle-based therapeutics and skin care products."
The preclinical studies will be performed in the
NCI’s Nanotechnology Characterization Lab
(NCL)
to measure the ability of a Tego fullerene formulation to protect
against harmful side effects of two anti-cancer drugs, cisplastin and
adriamycin. The first stage of the studies will use NCL’s
resources, with follow on funding from Tego, as appropriate.
The National Cancer Institute (NCI), working in concert with
the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and the U.S.
Food and Drug Administration (FDA), established the Nanotechnology
Characterization Laboratory (ncl.cancer.gov)
to perform preclinical efficacy and toxicity testing of nanoparticles.
The NCL
serves as a national resource and knowledge base for all cancer
researchers to facilitate the regulatory review of nanotechnologies
intended for cancer therapies and diagnostics. By providing the
critical infrastructure and characterization services to nanomaterial
providers, the NCL can accelerate the transition
of basic nanoscale particles and devices into clinical applications,
thereby reducing suffering and death from cancer.