Bolder BioTechnology Receives $1.2 Million From NIH To Study Long-Acting G-CSF And GM-CSF Analogs In Treating Acute Radiation Syndrome

Main Category: Radiology / Nuclear Medicine
Also Included In: Clinical Trials / Drug Trials;  Pharma Industry / Biotech Industry
Article Date: 18 Sep 2009 - 2:00 PDT

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Bolder BioTechnology, Inc. announced that it has been awarded two Phase I Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grants totaling $1.2 million from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) of The National Institutes of Health (NIH). The grants will be used to perform additional preclinical toxicology and pharmacology studies of the company's proprietary long-acting G-CSF and GM-CSF analogs. Receipt of the entire grant award is contingent upon the achievement of certain research milestones.

George (Joe) Cox, Ph.D., Company President and Principal Investigator for the grants, said, "We are delighted to receive these grant awards from NIAID to conduct research in Acute Radiation Syndrome (ARS). Through prior research grants from the National Cancer Institute (NCI) we were able to demonstrate that our modified G-CSF and GM-CSF analogs were very effective at accelerating white blood cell recovery in chemotherapy-treated rats. We hope to show similar beneficial effects of our proteins for treating ARS."

Development of radiological/nuclear countermeasures to treat ARS is a high priority research area for NIAID. Bone marrow is one of the most sensitive tissues to radiation damage and impaired production of blood cells is one of the first clinical signs of excessive radiation exposure, often resulting in death. Drugs such as G-CSF and GM-CSF that stimulate production of white blood cells may potentially improve survival in patients with ARS. Current G-CSF and GM-CSF products require daily administration, typically for 10-15 days, to restore normal white blood cell production. Long-acting G-CSF and GM-CSF analogs that do not require frequent dosing could provide significant treatment advantages in a nuclear emergency setting.

The NIH SBIR program is a peer-reviewed grant program that provides research support to small businesses to discover and develop innovative biomedical products for the treatment of serious unmet medical needs.

Bolder BioTechnology, Inc. uses advanced protein engineering technologies to create proprietary human protein pharmaceuticals with enhanced therapeutic properties for the treatment of hematopoietic and endocrine disorders, cancer and infectious diseases.

Statements contained herein that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements that are subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties. There are a number of important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed in any forward-looking statements made by the Company. These factors include, but are not limited to: (1) the Company's ability to successfully complete product research and development, including pre-clinical and clinical studies, and commercialization; (2) the Company's ability to obtain required government approvals; (3) the Company's ability to attract and/or maintain manufacturing, sales, distribution and marketing partners; and (4) the Company's ability to develop and commercialize its products before its competitors.

Source: Bolder BioTechnology, Inc

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