Trophogen, Inc. Awarded $756,000 for Second Year of Phase 2 NIH/NCI Fast Track SBIR Grant for Development of Novel Human VEGF Analogs for Targeted Imaging of Undifferentiated Thyroid Cancer
July 07, 2015 03:26 PM Eastern Daylight Time
ROCKVILLE, Md.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Trophogen, Inc., a U.S.-based emerging biotechnology company founded in 2001, today announced that it was awarded the second year of its Phase 2 Fast Track component of $756,000 for a Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Award from the National Cancer Institute (NCI) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to develop novel VEGF analogs for targeted imaging of undifferentiated thyroid cancer. The two principal investigators, Dr. Mariusz W. Szkudlinski, Vice-President & CSO and Dr. Bruce D. Weintraub, President and CEO, have now brought their total NIH and FDA highly competitive SBIR funded grants to 10 for a total of nearly $10 million.
"We are pleased to have been awarded this grant which advances development of novel cancer-targeting 'theranostics' ('biosuperior magic bullets') and provides additional validation for Trophogen's glycoprotein hormone and growth factor superagonist platform technology combining increased receptor binding based on enhanced electrostatic interactions between engineered charged amino acid residues in the ligand with those in the receptor plus much superior pharmacokinetics," said Dr. Szkudlinski.
"We are excited about this new SBIR grant Phase 2 Award as well as Trophogen's extraordinary record of total NIH & FDA SBIR grants funded. Taken together with the recently announced license and purchase agreement with Zoetis, Inc., the world's leading animal pharma, both demonstrate validation of Trophogen's technology and high esteem of its research achievements by peer grant reviewers as well as by leading pharma companies," said Dr. Weintraub.
About Trophogen, Inc.
Trophogen, Inc. is a U.S.-based biotechnology company founded in 2001 with Series A funding from Toucan Capital, focusing on the development of human and bovine high affinity glycoprotein hormone and related growth factor superagonist analogs for human infertility, animal superovulation, wound healing as well as targeted imaging and therapy of thyroid, ovarian, breast, prostate and testicular cancers, in certain cases employing novel superagonist-targeted nanoparticles. Trophogen's lead human product is a long-acting human FSH superagonist for a multibillion dollar human infertility market, which is providing a long awaited solution for "poor responders" and a large number of patients initially disqualified from IVF. Its lead animal product, a long-acting bovine FSH superagonist, has been licensed to Zoetis, and the company also has developed various additional long-acting equine and bovine CG superagonist for large markets in other aspects of bovine porcine & other livestock reproduction and various VEGF and PDGF analogs for wound healing in animals.
In addition to its venture capital support and other NIH & FDA grants, Trophogen has received a $3 million NICHD Phase 2 SBIR grant to advance its human FSH analog to Phase I-II clinical trials. Trophogen's novel, recombinant, neoglycosylated superagonist hFSH analog Biosuperior has previously shown a major enhancement of clinically relevant end-point outcomes in multiple mammalian species including in mature oocyte production combined with total safety, single- and dual-injection convenience. Trophogen has also received over $7 million from other NIH SBIR grants to take at least 3 other advanced pre-clinical human products to Phase I-II clinical trials by 2016-2018 for additional multibillion dollar markets including superagonist-targeted imaging and therapy of multiple aggressive forms of cancer. It has also received over $4 million from various human and veterinary pharmaceutical co-development and licensing agreements. Trophogen currently seeks series B venture capital as well as additional human and animal health development partners, and for more information about the company, please visit www.trophogen.com.
Trophogen, Inc.
Alex Usog, Office Manager
ausog@trophogen.com
Bruce Weintraub, MD, President, CEO, Cofounder
bweintraub@trophogen.com