The publicly listed company Starpharma was established in 1996 to commercialise novel polyvalent molecular technology developed at the CSIRO. Starpharma has since discovered and is developing dendrimers for a wide range of diseases, including cancer, diabetes and respiratory viruses.
Dendrimers are synthetic compounds that measure 1–50nm in width, and can be produced to precise and defined specifications to hold numerous drug treatment molecules. As the dendrimers are the same size as natural proteins and carbohydrates, they are ideal as scaffolds to increase the effectiveness of new and existing drug applications.
In 2003 Starpharma’s patented HIV prevention microbicide gel, VivaGel™, became the world’s first dendrimer-based drug to be approved for human trials by the US FDA. Phase 1 Human Safety Trials were successfully completed in November 2004.
Starpharma holds exclusive world rights to dendrimer molecule technology, and operates a research network throughout Europe and the US.
Services
Nano-biotechnology (dendrimers), Drug discovery
Sales Contact
Tim Grogan