NBIO .125 - Syracuse University / Allison Patteson:
The National Science Foundation (NSF) has awarded Assistant Professor Alison Patteson and Associate Professor Jennifer Schwarz a $196,000 grant to investigate the link between vimentin, a chain of proteins founds in animal cells and bacteria, and SARS2 cell entry. The award, Patteson’s first from NSF as a principal investigator, is part of the agency’s Rapid Response Research (RAPID) initiative, supporting better treatment for COVID-19.
NBIO .063 - Nascent Biotech Research Collaboration Partner, Manhattan BioSolutions, Receives Grant for Covid 19 Vaccine Studies. Wednesday, September 23, 2020 8:00 AM Share this article now Topic: Company Update
SAN DIEGO, CA / ACCESSWIRE / September 23, 2020 / Nascent Biotech, Inc (OTCQB:NBIO), a biotechnology company pioneering innovative medicines to overcome difficult-to-treat cancers and viral infections, announces that its collaboration partner, Manhattan BioSolutions, has been awarded a Phase I SBIR grant by the National Science Foundation (NSF) entitled "Genetically Engineered BCG as a Microbe-Based Platform for Vaccination Against COVID-19".
The grant will support early discovery research with the goal to develop safe and affordable COVID-19 vaccination platform based on the licensed vaccine against tuberculosis (TB), with broader utility in preventing other types of viruses that may cause major outbreaks in humans. Under the agreement signed earlier in May 2020, Nascent Biotech and Manhattan BioSolutions have partnered to advance selected vaccine candidates to late-stage preclinical development.
This novel vaccination technology is based on the genetically modified bacteria Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG), which has a long safety track record as a highly cost-effective vaccine against TB used in infants and small children. BCG vaccination has been shown to produce beneficial heterologous immune mechanisms leading to improved response against infections; The proposed project enables the generation of a new class of live bacterial therapeutics engineered to specifically target SARS-CoV-2 and induce trained immunity in humans, with the potential to protect against COVID-19 disease and its associated pathology.
Dr. Boris Shor, CEO of Manhattan BioSolutions, added: "This project is built upon our prior expertise designing therapeutic vaccine candidates for oncology indications; it is also complementary to our core efforts to discover innovative therapeutic agents targeting pathogen-related immunity for the treatment of cancer.
Sean Carrick, CEO of Nascent Biotech commented: "Published evidence suggests that BCG vaccination is safe and might be associated with a decrease in the incidence of sickness during the COVID-19 pandemic, and lower incidence of extreme fatigue The award of this grant furthers the objective of building a Viral Infection business platform and providing meaningful treatment for patients. We are excited to be working together with Manhattan BioSolutions with the goal to deliver innovative therapies that can change patients' lives.
About Manhattan BioSolutions
Manhattan BioSolutions, Inc. is a privately held biotechnology company focused on the discovery and development of immunotherapies that target innate immunity for the treatment of cancer and inflammatory diseases. MBS leverages two technology platforms for drug discovery: microbial based genetically engineered immune stimulator platform, and monoclonal antibodies against innate immune sensors that recognize pathogens or endogenous "danger signals" released as a result of tissue injury or inflammation.
About Nascent Biotech
Nascent Biotech, Inc. (OTCQB: NBIO) is a clinical-stage biotech company pioneering the development of monoclonal antibodies to be used in the treatment of various cancers and viral infections helping millions of people worldwide. Its products are not commercially available. For further information please visit our website www.nascentbiotech.com. Our lead candidate, Pritumumab (PTB), is a monoclonal Antibody (Mab) will be studied in Phase I clinical trial later this year for the treatment of Brain Cancer. Development for PTB as a treatment for COVID-19 has been initiated. For more information, visit www.nascentbiotech.com.