NSF Funds Research Partnership Between Bioo Scientific and Mirna Therapeutics
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Bioo Scientific Corporation announced today that it has been awarded an additional $100,000 for its Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II grant from the National Science Foundation.
The funding will support tumor regression and pharmacokinetic studies featuring escalating doses of a microRNA-based therapeutic candidate from Mirna Therapeutics, Inc., used in combination with Bioo Scientific’s targeted transport technology. The supplemental funding brings the total financial support for this phase of the NSF project to $600,000.
The targeted transport technology (T3) combines a positively charged carrier compound and an antibody that is specific to a cell surface receptor to directly deliver RNA-interfering (RNAi) mediator payloads to specific cells in the body. The carrier-antibody conjugate, loaded with an RNAi mediator, can be administered systemically or locally to an animal (or cultured cells) where it is internalized by cells bearing surface receptors that are targeted by the antibody. Upon cell entry, the RNAi mediator is released from the T3 delivery vehicle and allowed to silence the expression of its intended targets. Bioo Scientific has been expanding its collection of antibody carrier controls and recently launched a conjugation kit to enable customers to develop antibody delivery vehicles in their own laboratories.
The RNAi mediator provided by Mirna Therapeutics is a mimic of the potent tumor suppressor microRNA, miR-34, which has proven to be effective and safe when used in animal models of cancer. miR-34 is a key component of the p53 tumor suppressor pathway and is responsible for regulating multiple cancer-related genes and cellular processes.
The funding will support tumor regression and pharmacokinetic studies featuring escalating doses of a microRNA-based therapeutic candidate from Mirna Therapeutics, Inc., used in combination with Bioo Scientific’s targeted transport technology. The supplemental funding brings the total financial support for this phase of the NSF project to $600,000.
The targeted transport technology (T3) combines a positively charged carrier compound and an antibody that is specific to a cell surface receptor to directly deliver RNA-interfering (RNAi) mediator payloads to specific cells in the body. The carrier-antibody conjugate, loaded with an RNAi mediator, can be administered systemically or locally to an animal (or cultured cells) where it is internalized by cells bearing surface receptors that are targeted by the antibody. Upon cell entry, the RNAi mediator is released from the T3 delivery vehicle and allowed to silence the expression of its intended targets. Bioo Scientific has been expanding its collection of antibody carrier controls and recently launched a conjugation kit to enable customers to develop antibody delivery vehicles in their own laboratories.
The RNAi mediator provided by Mirna Therapeutics is a mimic of the potent tumor suppressor microRNA, miR-34, which has proven to be effective and safe when used in animal models of cancer. miR-34 is a key component of the p53 tumor suppressor pathway and is responsible for regulating multiple cancer-related genes and cellular processes.
