NIH awards $5.6 million for biodefense research

Funds were awarded under the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) Biodefense Challenge Grants program, which encourages private industry to work with academic investigators in order to develop countermeasures against potential agents of bioterrorism.

Product development will be done in collaboration with Atox Bio, a company established by Yissum, the technology transfer company of the Hebrew University.

Superantigens are deadly toxins produced by staphylococcal and streptococcal bacteria that even in very low amounts can incapacitate humans, posing a bioterror threat. These toxins are also responsible for a majority of fatal toxic and septic shock cases, yet no drug or vaccine against them is available. The toxins released by these bacteria are insensitive to antibiotics.

The $5.6-million award was made to Dr Raymond Kaempfer who previously uncovered a novel molecular mechanism by which the superantigen toxins elicit a vastly exaggerated immune response that leads to death.

The researchers used this insight to design peptides (short stretches of protein) that block this harmful response in animals, thereby protecting and rescuing them from lethal toxic and septic shock. What remained was an immune response that was adequate to halt the toxins but without the excess that brings on shock. Indeed, once protected, the survivors became immune to further toxin challenges.

“The grant will fund development of Atox Bio’s drug for biodefense, using a shortened pathway towards FDA approval that requires only the completion of phase I clinical trials for licensure,” said Uri Danon, CEO, Atox Bio. “This will allow us to reach a break-even point fast in order to finance future advanced development of drugs to treat diseases with unmet medical needs.”