Texas-based biotechnology company Pulmotect has been granted an award of $7.1 million by the Cancer Prevention & Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT) for development of its lead product PUL-042, an inhaled immune stimulant composed of two synthetic toll-like receptor agonists. The award is intended to fund preclinical, Phase 1, and Phase 2 studies of the product for protection against pneumonia in patients receiving chemotherapy, with trials slated to begin in 2013. Pulmotect licensed the technology from Texas A&M University and the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center.
Pulmotect Founder Brenton Scott said, “We very much appreciate this award and the validation of our technology by CPRIT and its international team of reviewers. This award will allow us the ability to drive this exciting technology forward and accelerate bringing it to the market to help save lives.”
“The protection against infections we are seeing is broad and rapid, a significant technological advantage,” Scott added. “Identifying the specific pathogen would not be required to initiate an effective defense response. Even though everyone breathes in microbes regularly – typically without many problems – in the immunocompromised host, these microbes can be extra problematic, often times preventing the full cancer treatment from being received.”
The company is partnered with AlphaDev on the development of PUL-042, and its Chairman of the Board, AlphaDev co-founder Leo Linbeck III commented, “This award from the State of Texas is a positive next step in technology that we recognized might have a tremendous positive impact on the overall community and an equally broad commercial application.”
According to Pulmotec, the product also has potential applications for the prevention of respiratory infections in asthmatics, the prevention of influenza, and biodefense.
Read the Pulmotec press release.
