Immunomic Therapeutics Awarded SBIR Grant to Develop Multi-Nut Allergy Immunotherapy
Hershey, PA & Rockville, MD (PRWEB) September 17, 2014 -- Immunomic Therapeutics, Inc. announced today that it won a Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant to support the continued preclinical development of a multi-nut allergy immunotherapy. The award will provide ITI with approximately $255,000 over one year to conduct vaccine validation studies.
Tree nuts, a leading cause of food allergy, affect over one million Americans and are the second leading cause of anaphylaxis behind peanut allergy. Tree nut exposure is also a risk for peanut allergics, who are advised to avoid the nuts due to cross-reactivity with peanut allergens. A safe and effective treatment is therefore needed to desensitize those at risk of anaphylaxis due to tree nut exposure.
The commercial potential of TN-LAMP-vax is to address the significant unmet medical need of tree nut allergy. The product’s innovative combination of LAMP targeting technology, DNA vaccination, protein optimization, and innovative multi-allergen plasmids allows for a single product that addresses the common causes of tree nut allergies in the US in a single formulation.
By encoding the selected allergens with LAMP Technology, the plasmid DNA encoded allergens are directed for presentation to major histocompatibility complex type II (MHCII) and affect a Th2 to Th1 switch. Use of LAMP Technology for allergy immunotherapy presents numerous advantages over competing technologies, including the elimination of free circulating allergens, which protects subjects from exposure to free circulating allergen as part of treatment. LAMP’s mechanism involves directly stimulating CD4 T cells and inducing a Th1 biased immune response and IgG4a.
This SBIR grant will support testing of the tree nut multivalent LAMP-vax formulation in multiple preclinical systems, including a therapeutic model of tree nut allergy.
“We’re excited about the great work that we’re about to do through this grant,” said Teri Heiland, PhD, VP of R&D. “There’s real urgency around finding a solution to tree nut allergies, because the need is almost entirely unmet. LAMP Technology is the breakthrough that will let us deliver a solution to the marketplace, and this grant moves us a step closer to that reality."
ITI appreciates the support of NIAID and is thankful to the reviewers of this grant application for their time and consideration.
About Food Allergies
Tree nuts are a leading cause of food allergy that affect over a million Americans. After sensitization, subsequent exposure can trigger potentially lethal anaphylactic reactions. TNs are the second most common cause of anaphylaxis behind peanut allergy. TN allergies disproportionately affect children and are rarely outgrown. TN exposure is a risk for peanut allergics, who are advised to avoid TN exposure due to cross-reactivity with peanut allergens. A safe and effective treatment is urgently needed to desensitize individuals at risk of anaphylaxis due to TN exposure.
About Immunomic Therapeutics
Immunomic Therapeutics, Inc. (ITI) is a privately-held clinical stage biotechnology company dedicated to pioneering vaccines that transform lives. It is headquartered in Hershey, PA with lab facilities in Rockville, MD. ITI develops next-generation vaccines based on patented LAMP Technology. Its LAMP-vax™ vaccine platform significantly increases immune response to nucleic acid vaccines and simplifies vaccine design and delivery for safer, more cost-effective therapies. Its LAMP constructs have been validated in human clinical trials for cancer and have been applied to targets like allergy, cancer and infectious diseases. By 2020, ITI expects to have regulatory approved products in pollen, cancer, food and animal health. For information about ITI ITI and LAMP Technology, visit http://www.immunomix.com.
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Kristi Hughes, MKJ Creative, http://www.mkjcreative.com, +1 215-816-2954, [email protected]
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