Lpath has received official notification from the National Institutes of Neurological Diseases and Stroke (NINDS) that it has been awarded a US$1.7 million, 2.5-year grant to develop its antibody therapeutic, Lpathomab, which is directed against the bioactive lipid lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) for the treatment of traumatic brain injury.
The phase l amount of US$224,000 will fund studies designed to repeat in rats the efficacy previously demonstrated (several times in mice) in a controlled-cortical-impact model of traumatic brain injury. Contingent on phase I success, phase II funds of almost US$1.5 million will be used to advance Lpathomab through safety, pharmacology, and toxicology studies needed to file an Investigational New Drug application (IND).
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Fast Track Programme was created to provide grants to accelerate the transition from development stage to commercialisation of innovative technologies that improve human health and advance the mission of the NIH. The programme also aims to foster partnerships among a variety of research and development collaborators working toward these goals. To this end, Lpath has partnered this project with the University of California, Los Angeles, USA, Department of Neurosurgery and its prestigious Brain Injury Research Center with Neil Harris, as a co-principal investigator on the project.
“With this award, the NINDS recognises the therapeutic potential of Lpathomab in addressing a completely unmet need as there are no FDA approved drugs for traumatic brain injury treatment,” says Scott Pancoast, Lpath’s chief executive officer.
