The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has awarded Agile Sciences a Phase I STTR Grant to evaluate the efficacy of Agile Sciences’ proprietary Agilyte™ anti-biofilm molecules for treating lung infections of cystic fibrosis patients. The molecules will be tested in a new model of chronic lung infection developed in the lab of Dr. Richard Boucher, Kenan Professor of Medicine and Director of the Cystic Fibrosis Center at UNC Chapel Hill.
Earlier this year, Agile Sciences received a $75,000 grant from the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation that funded proof-of-concept studies to support the NIH application.
Dr. Eva Garland, Agile Sciences’ VP of Research and Development, stated, “It is particularly gratifying to receive this NIH award so soon after successfully completing the preliminary studies funded by the CF Foundation. This grant allows us to continue our momentum in developing a CF therapeutic by testing our molecules in a more sophisticated model.”
“We are appreciative of the opportunity to collaborate with Dr. Boucher, who is a world-renown leader in cystic fibrosis research,” noted Agile Sciences’ co-founder, Dr. Christian Melander.
Dr. Boucher commented, “This exciting new technology has the potential to deal with a truly immense clinical problem in CF, i.e. chronic infection with drug resistant biofilm forms of bacteria.”
This NIH STTR project will begin immediately and continue through August 31, 2012.
About Agile Sciences:
Agile Sciences is headquartered on North Carolina State University’s Centennial Campus. The company was founded in 2007 to provide commercial solutions to those industries plagued by the effects of biofilms. The company’s proprietary Agilyte™ compounds have been shown to be effective in dispersing biofilms and overcoming bacterial resistance mechanisms. For additional information, please visit: http://www.agilesci.com.
Source: Agile Sciences press release