EPIcyte Awarded SBIR, Darpa Research Grants

EPIcyte Pharmaceutical Inc. (San Diego) and its strategic partner ReProtect have been awarded two Phase I Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grants from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) for the development of antibodies for reproductive health applications.

The SBIR grants, valued at $100,000, are entitled "Mucosal Plantibodies: A Human Anti-HSV SigA" and "Mucosal Plantibodies: A Human Anti-Sperm SIgA." The grants will enable EPIcyte and ReProtect to further development of an anti-herpes antibody to prevent the transmission of the herpes virus by sexual contact, and an anti-sperm antibody to prevent contraception.

EPIcyte, along with the Boyce Thompson Institute, is also the recipient of a $2.8 million Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (Darpa) research grant from the Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command (Spawar) that will support basic research for EPIcyte's drug delivery platform for treating and preventing pulmonary infections. The Darpa research grant is entitled "High Level Expression of Vaccine Antigens and Epithelial Transport Molecules in Transgenic Plant Cells and Organs."

For more information, contact Robert Leach, EPIcyte Pharmaceutical Inc., 619-554-0281, rleach@epicyte.com.