Aphios
Corporation Receives Frost & Sullivan Best Practices Award
December
08, 2009 —
Aphios Corporation today announced that it
is the proud recipient of the 2009 Frost & Sullivan
North American Excellence in Healthcare Technology Innovation
of the Year Award in the field of Enhanced Nanodrug Therapeutic
Systems for developing the SuperFluids™ nanodrug solubility,
encapsulation and delivery platforms. These platforms are
unique in that they create dense phase super solvents with
superior thermodynamic properties, allowing them to formulate
and deliver drugs to targets that are not resolvable through
conventional means.
Founded in 1993 by Trevor Castor, Aphios Corporation’s
primary goal was to pursue virus inactivation. In order
to achieve this objective, the company developed a technology
to disrupt viral particles through the application of SuperFluids™.
Under Dr. Castor’s leadership, the company serendipitously
realized that by reverse engineering the technology to disrupt
viral particles they could now create nanoparticles that
can be suitably employed for drug solubilization and delivery.
Over the years, the strategic direction of the company has
evolved from being a company focused on viral therapeutics
to an organization that focuses on related technology diversification
across drug solubility and delivery, thereby expanding the
scope for innovative therapeutic administration.
There are two fundamental challenges in the fields of vaccine
and therapeutic development and administration. Oral delivery
of protein macromolecules is the Holy Grail in biotechnology
medicine since proteins and peptides are digested by enzymes
and acids before reaching the circulation system. Similar
degradation occurs with subunit protein, DNA or inactivated
vaccine antigens that are degraded before eliciting a proper
immune response. Effective nanoencapsulation affords the
luxury of both protecting and releasing the biologic therapeutic
or vaccine antigen in a controlled manner to maximize their
therapeutic efficacy. Similar challenges reside with hydrophobic
cancer therapeutics administered intravenously - nanoencapsulation
both reduces toxicity and increases efficacy, contributing
to improvements in therapeutic index and quality-of-life.
About the Award: Frost & Sullivan’s
Technology Innovation Award is bestowed upon a company (or
individual) that has carried out new research, which has
resulted in innovation(s) that have or are expected to bring
significant contributions to the industry in terms of adoption,
change, and competitive posture. This award recognizes the
quality and depth of a company’s research and development
program as well as the vision and risk-taking that enabled
it to undertake such an endeavor.
About Research Methodology: To choose the
award recipient, Frost & Sullivan’s analyst team
tracks innovation in key hi-tech markets. The selection
process includes primary participant interviews and extensive
primary and secondary research via the bottom-up approach.
The analyst team shortlists candidates based on a set of
qualitative and quantitative measurements. The analysts
also consider the pace of research and technology innovation,
and the significance or potential relevance of the innovation
to the overall industry. The ultimate award recipient is
chosen after a thorough evaluation of this research.
About Best Practices: Frost & Sullivan
Best Practices Awards recognize companies in a variety of
regional and global markets for demonstrating outstanding
achievement and superior performance in areas such as leadership,
technological innovation, customer service, and strategic
product development. Industry analysts compare market participants
and measure performance through in-depth interviews, analysis,
and extensive secondary research in order to identify best
practices in the industry.
About Frost & Sullivan: Frost &
Sullivan, the Growth Consulting Company, partners with clients
to accelerate their growth. The company's Growth Partnership
Services, Growth Consulting and Career Best Practices empower
clients to create a growth focused culture that generates,
evaluates and implements effective growth strategies. Frost
& Sullivan employs over 45 years of experience in partnering
with Global 1000 companies, emerging businesses and the
investment community from more than 30 offices on six continents.
For more information about Frost & Sullivan’s
Growth Partnerships, visit http://www.frost.com
www.awards.frost.com
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