01.12.12
SignaBlok, Inc. has been awarded a contract from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) to introduce company’s approach to the prevention and treatment of sepsis (blood poisoning), and to establish proof-of-concept in vivo.
SignaBlok’s approach targets an inflammation amplifier, a specific receptor called TREM-1, which has been shown to improve survival in animal models of sepsis. The company’s peptide inhibitors that are developed using a new model of cell signaling, known as the SCHOOL model, inhibit TREM-1 in a ligand-independent way and has beneficial properties.
The contract supports formulation development and in vivo proof-of-concept studies to evaluate the efficacy of TREM-1-specific SCHOOL peptides in either the free or nanoparticulate form. The most promising formulations will be selected for IND-enabling toxicology studies leading into clinical development.
“DARPA's support for the use of SCHOOL peptides in preventing and treating sepsis, as evidenced by this contract, is a critical recognition of our innovative approach to this disease,” stated Alexander Sigalov, Ph.D., president, Inventor and Founder of SignaBlok. “Recent discoveries provide evidence that TREM-1 plays an important role in the pathogenesis of not only sepsis but also cancer and other inflammation-associated conditions such as radiation-induced multiple organ dysfunction syndrome. The DARPA funding creates a tremendous opportunity for SignaBlok to expand its portfolio of innovative technologies and establish in vivo proof of concept for these disorders, including various cancer types such as lung, breast and pancreatic cancers.”
SignaBlok’s approach targets an inflammation amplifier, a specific receptor called TREM-1, which has been shown to improve survival in animal models of sepsis. The company’s peptide inhibitors that are developed using a new model of cell signaling, known as the SCHOOL model, inhibit TREM-1 in a ligand-independent way and has beneficial properties.
The contract supports formulation development and in vivo proof-of-concept studies to evaluate the efficacy of TREM-1-specific SCHOOL peptides in either the free or nanoparticulate form. The most promising formulations will be selected for IND-enabling toxicology studies leading into clinical development.
“DARPA's support for the use of SCHOOL peptides in preventing and treating sepsis, as evidenced by this contract, is a critical recognition of our innovative approach to this disease,” stated Alexander Sigalov, Ph.D., president, Inventor and Founder of SignaBlok. “Recent discoveries provide evidence that TREM-1 plays an important role in the pathogenesis of not only sepsis but also cancer and other inflammation-associated conditions such as radiation-induced multiple organ dysfunction syndrome. The DARPA funding creates a tremendous opportunity for SignaBlok to expand its portfolio of innovative technologies and establish in vivo proof of concept for these disorders, including various cancer types such as lung, breast and pancreatic cancers.”