|
More on: SARS treatment
Lipid Sciences, Inc. has reported in a submission to the National Institutes of Health that it has met the study goal of creating a vaccine preparation for SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome).
The study - funded by the NIH under the auspices of a Small Business Technology Transfer grant - validated the hypothesis that a modified SARS viral particle could result in an enhanced immunogenic response in an animal model resulting in both neutralizing antibody and cell-mediated immune responses.
Lipid Sciences was successful in using its delipidation technology to demonstrate proof of principle of the modification of viral particles to be used in preparation of a preventive vaccine against the SARS Coronavirus -- a lipid-enveloped virus of particular concern as a Category C Agent in bio-defense applications.
Lipid Sciences' Viral Immunotherapy platform focuses on the removal of the lipid coatings from lipid-enveloped viruses by applying the company's proprietary delipidation technologies. In addition to SARS, conditions that could potentially be impacted by these technologies include HIV, Hepatitis B and Hepatitis C, West Nile, influenza and a broad range of viruses impacting animal health.
This study supports the broad application of Lipid Sciences' Viral Immunotherapy technology to a range of respiratory viruses. Most significantly, this study, for the first time, shows the potential of delipidated viruses as immunogens for use as prophylactic vaccines, and validates the broad-based platform opportunity represented by Lipid Sciences' Viral Immunotherapy technology as both a preventive vaccine and a therapeutic treatment.
The collaborative research project, performed at Meharry Medical College in Nashville, Tenn., was led by Dr. Moiz Kitabwalla, Senior Manager, Viral Programs, Lipid Sciences, Inc., and Dr. James E.K. Hildreth, Director of Health Disparities, Meharry Medical College.
“The promising results from this study demonstrate the ability of Lipid Sciences' delipidated virus to elicit a unique immune response, which acts as a preventive vaccine, in a respiratory (SARS) virus,” Hildreth said. “Although the study was not statistically powered, the results were so compelling that we intend to publish the data from this study in the near future.”
Lipid Sciences, Inc. is a development-stage biotechnology company engaged in the research and development of products and processes intended to treat major medical indications, in which lipids, or fat components, play a key role. The Company's HDL Therapy platform (HDL Selective Delipidation and HDL Mimetic Peptides) aims to develop treatments to reverse atherosclerosis, a systemic disease of the blood vessels caused by the build-up of cholesterol-filled plaques in the vascular system and, most critically, in the coronary arteries. Regression of such plaques may have a major impact on reducing the risk of acute coronary events. The company's Viral Immunotherapy platform focuses on the removal of the lipid coatings from lipid-enveloped viruses and other lipid-containing infectious agents by applying Lipid Sciences' proprietary delipidation technologies.
|
