BOZEMAN, Mont., July 6 /PRNewswire/ -- LigoCyte Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
announced today that they have been awarded another contract from the
Department of Defense (DOD) to continue the validation of their third
generation, mucosal anthrax vaccine. The award for $2.3 million continues
the DOD's support for the preclinical development of LigoCyte's unique,
intranasal, dual-antigen vaccine.
Protection data from LigoCyte's vaccine was recently reported in the
May, 2006 journal Vaccine, one of the top peer-reviewed journals in the
field. The new vaccine provided 100% protection from an inhaled anthrax
challenge in an animal study at Battelle Memorial Institute. "Our vaccine
not only prevented death in all of the immunized animals, but it also
reduced the morbidity, preventing the sickness caused by an infection,"
said Dr. Susan Wimer-Mackin, LigoCyte's Director of Molecular Biology and
the lead scientist on the anthrax vaccine project.
LigoCyte's dual-antigen vaccine includes a protein antigen to protect
against a toxin released from the bacteria, and a bacterial capsule antigen
to help the body fight the infection itself. This vaccine offers a number
of advantages over other anthrax vaccines that are currently being
evaluated by the government. LigoCyte's dry powder formulations are stable,
easy to handle and are less likely to require cold storage to be
transported to remote areas. The intranasal, needle-free delivery route is
less invasive and provides an opportunity for self-administration by the
user. Data show the potential for this vaccine to offer protection against
anthrax after only a single administration, a vast improvement over the
six-dose regimen for the vaccine currently licensed by the FDA.
"Our anthrax vaccine program is quickly moving forward," said Don
Beeman, LigoCyte's CEO. "We have effectively built public-private
partnerships to develop products of great importance to the nation's
biodefense. As announced last year, this program has also been awarded a
peer-reviewed $4.6 million competitive grant from the National Institutes
of Health (NIH), which validates and builds on the foundation established
under DOD funding, and confirms the value of our vaccine programs as we
move towards the clinic." LigoCyte's dry powder, intranasal approach is
also being applied to other vaccines, including LigoCyte's vaccine against
Norovirus. Norovirus outbreaks (also known as the "stomach flu" or "cruise
ship disease") are a critical problem in nursing homes and hospitals, as
well as military installations worldwide.
LigoCyte's new DOD contract stems from an appropriation supported by
Senator Conrad Burns (R-MT). This funding mechanism has enabled LigoCyte to
develop products of high priority to the DOD while garnering the support of
the NIH for developing products for broad civilian use.
About LigoCyte:
LigoCyte, established in 1998, is breaking new ground in the treatment
of inflammatory and infectious diseases. The company has produced a number
of novel drug compounds that stimulate or suppress immune responses.
LigoCyte is advancing its proprietary products into human clinical testing,
positioning the company for continued growth and success in the
biotechnology industry. For additional information on LigoCyte, please
visit http://www.ligocyte.com. Binding Science. Better Medicine.
The referenced work is supported by USAMRMC Contracts DAMD17-01-C-0040
& W81XWH-05-C-0150. The views, opinions and/or findings are those of
LigoCyte and should not be construed as an official Department of the Army
position. In conducting research using animals, the investigator(s) adhered
to "Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals," prepared by the
Committee on Care and Use of Laboratory Animals of the Institute of
Laboratory Animal Resources, National Research Council (NIH Publication No.
86-23, Revised 1985). In conducting work involving the use of recombinant
DNA the investigator(s) adhered to Guidelines for Research Involving
Recombinant DNA Molecules; Notice, Federal Register, July 5, 1994, Volume
59, Number 127.
SOURCE LigoCyte Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
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Related links:
http://www.ligocyte.com
CONTACT:
Karen Sipes, Ph.D., Director, Marketing and
Communications of LigoCyte Pharmaceuticals, Inc.,
+1-406-556-9228, karen.sipes@ligocyte.com
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