Aphios
Awarded SBIR Grant from NIH for Development of Natural Marine
Anti-Plaque Compound
October
10, 2000
— Aphios
Corporation has been awarded a Phase I SBIR grant from the
National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR),
National Institutes of Health (NIH) for development of a
Marine Anti-Plaque Compound.
Epidemiological
surveys indicate that an average of 50% of the adult population
of the United States has gingivitis and that gingivitis
can lead to a number of life threatening illnesses such
as heart disease. Most anti-plaque compounds, e.g. triclosan,
chlorohexidene and fluorine, are halogenated. Marine microorganisms,
which can generate compounds that integrate halogens such
as fluorine, chlorine and bromine, can thus be an important
natural resource for the discovery of genetically unique
anti-plaque compounds.
Aphios
Corporation has developed a unique collection of marine
microorganisms isolated from diverse organisms and extremeophilic
environments such as: marine invertebrates including bryozoans,
sponges, corals, and tunicates; deep sea sediments and shallow
mangrove swamps; hypersaline ponds; hydrothermal vents;
marine vertebrates like fish and shark; tropical and temperate
oceans; and plants including macroalgae.
Through
screening of its marine molecules library for anti-plaque
activity against microbes relevant to the flora of the oral
cavity, Aphios has discovered and identified several anti-plaque
secreting marine microorganisms with excellent oral inhibitory
and bactericidal activity. There is currently no truly efficacious
anti-gingivitis product that is both convenient to use and
appealing to the consumer. Aphios will focus on the isolation
and identification of the active ingredients of this discovery
to develop a natural marine product that is effective and
substantive against dental plaque. In this research effort,
Aphios will collaborate with renowned scientists from the
Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the Scripps Institution
of Oceanography.
Research
leading to this discovery was an outgrowth of a multi-year,
multi-million R&D program focused on the discovery and
development of therapeutics and industrial chemicals from
marine microorganisms. This R&D program was partially
funded by an Advanced Technology Program grant from the
National Institute of Standards and Testing, Department
of Commerce.
Aphios
Corporation (www.aphios.com)
is a “green” biopharmaceutical company, which
is developing enhanced natural therapeutics for health maintenance
and the treatment of human diseases with a focus on CNS,
cancer and infectious diseases.
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