Nanotherapeutics' and NCI Researchers Co-Author Publication Showing Promise with New Oral Nanoparticle HIV Vaccine
New research published in Nature Medicine describes a unique nanoparticle-releasing microparticle oral vaccine delivery system for HIV.
Alachua, FL -- Nanotherapeutics, Inc. announced today the publication of a paper, authored by Jay Berzofsky and colleagues (Q. Zhu et al, doi:10.1038/nm.2866) at the National Cancer Institute (NCI), in the August 2012 issue of Nature Medicine, which describes a unique nanoparticle-releasing microparticle oral vaccine delivery system. Results of the animal model research, co-authored by researchers at Nanotherapeutics, may represent a feasible new strategy for immune protection of rectal and vaginal mucosa from HIV and other pathogenic microorganisms.
Transmission of HIV typically occurs through both vaginal and rectal mucosa. Intracolorectal administration of vaccine previously proven protective is considered clinically impractical for large population protection. Oral vaccine delivery seems to be a preferable alternative, but destruction of the vaccine in the upper gastrointestinal tract limits its effectiveness. Vaccine targeted to the small intestine induced only small intestinal immunity and provided no rectal or vaginal protection. The Berzofsky team and Nanotherapeutics designed a large intestine-targeted nanoparticle-releasing microparticle oral delivery system, which induced colorectal immunity in mice and protected against rectal and vaginal viral challenge with comparable results to colorectal vaccination.
This research was supported by the Intramural Research Program of NIH, the National Cancer Institute, the Center for Cancer Research and the Intramural AIDS Targeted Antiviral Program, a grant from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (31170872), and a Collaborative Research and Development Agreement with Nanotherapeutics Inc.
About the National Cancer Institute (NCI)
NCI leads the National Cancer Program and the NIH effort to dramatically reduce the burden of cancer and improve the lives of cancer patients and their families, through research into prevention and cancer biology, the development of new interventions, and the training and mentoring of new researchers. For more information about cancer, please visit the NCI Web site at http://www.cancer.gov or call NCI's Cancer Information Service at 1-800-4-CANCER (1-800-422-6237).
About Nanotherapeutics
Nanotherapeutics, Inc. is a privately held biopharmaceutical company with a major focus on developing a diversified proprietary pipeline of products having both biodefense and medical applications. Products under development include biodefense medical countermeasures, CNS, wound healing, addiction and pain, oncology, anti-infectives, vaccines and orthopedics. The Company has one FDA cleared injectable biologic, NanoFUSE® DBM used by orthopedic surgeons as bone graft filler. Nanotherapeutics has in-house cGMP manufacturing, formulation, and expertise in pre-clinical and clinical product development as well as clinical trial management to support its products. Established twelve years ago, the Company employs several proprietary platform technologies to manipulate and enhance the properties of drug candidates. For more information, visit the Company website at http://www.nanotherapeutics.com.