Nanotherapeutics, Inc. announced
today that it has entered into a two year Cooperative Research and
Development Agreement (CRADA) with the Vaccine Branch of the National
Cancer Institute (NCI) to produce HIV peptide oral vaccine
nanoparticles using the company’s proprietary technology. The
collaboration with NCI will employ the company’s nanoparticle
delivery system, which enables oral targeted delivery of macromolecules
such as peptides, to facilitate oral delivery in the GI tract to
improve immune response.
James D. Talton, Ph.D., President of Nanotherapeutics and
co-founder of the company, is the company’s principal
investigator on the project. Dr. Talton said, “The CRADA
marks a significant milestone for the company and an important step in
the development of novel HIV vaccines. When the NCI came to us to
request our help in their HIV oral vaccine project, naturally, we were
excited that our technology was recognized by them and that the Vaccine
Branch had chosen to collaborate with us in this vital area of HIV
research and development.
Also commenting on the CRADA, Mento A.
“Chuck” Soponis, Chairman and CEO of
Nanotherapeutics said, “This recognition is further
validation of the work Dr. Talton and our scientists have been
conducting over the past several years in the area of stabilized
particle-based vaccine delivery. Entering into this collaborative
relationship with the NCI’s Vaccine Branch, demonstrates both
the scientific and competitive strength of Nanotherapeutics.”
In 2005, Nanotherapeutics received funding from National
Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) to develop an oral nanoparticle
medication to treat opiate addiction. The company also received funding
from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID),
as part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) research program on
Medical Countermeasures against Radiological and Nuclear Threats, to
improve the delivery of an injectable treatment, and from Project
Bioshield.