Noveome Biotherapeutics has signed a research and development agreement with Walter Reed Army Institute of Research (WRAIR) regarding preclinical studies of an intranasal formulation of Noveome’s ST266 secretome, the company said. Under the agreement, WRAIR Branch Chief Deborah Shear will evaluate intranasal ST266 in animal models of traumatic brain injury (TBI), with the research “expected to continue for several years leading up to human clinical trials.”
In April 2019, Noveome said that it had raised $15 million for development of ST266 for the treatment of optic nerve disease and for chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). In October of that year, the company announced that it had initiated a Phase 1 clinical trial of ST266 in patients with intraocular hypertension using a device from SipNose to deliver the drug across the blood brain barrier. According to the company’s web site, intranasal ST266 is currently in development for the treatment of wet age-related macular degeneration and/or glaucoma as well as for TBI.
Noveome Chairman and CEO William Golden commented, “We are excited to work with WRAIR on this project, which will build on our previous research using ST266 in a penetrating ballistic brain injury model.”
Board member Ronald Poropatich said, “Noveome and WRAIR are committed to developing immediate-use therapies for warfighters who suffer these types of traumatic injuries and this collaboration is vital to achieving that goal.”
Read the Noveome Biotherapeutics press release.
