29 Nov Two federal grants support Quintessence Biosciences
Madison, Wis. – Quintessence Biosciences has announced the receipt of two federal grants from the National Cancer Institute to advance its EVade cancer-fighting technology products into in-vivo testing.
The two Phase I small business innovation research grants total more than $280,000.
The first NCI grant of $125,607 will allow Quintessence to pursue second-generation products that have a different pharmacokinetic profile than QBI-139, its current lead cancer drug candidate. The pharmacokinetics of a drug refers to the fate of a drug once the drug enters the body, including how a drug is absorbed and metabolized.
In addition, the company received $157,739 to pursue antibody conjugates to enhance the efficacy of EVade.
Ralph Kauten, CEO of Quintessence, said the awards are significant because they help strengthen its pipeline of products and because they further validate the EVade approach to cancer therapy.
The company is currently preparing for the Phase I human clinical trial of QBI-139, and hopes to begin the trials in late March of 2008. By the time it completes the QBI-139 Phase I testing, Quintessence could have two additional EVade therapies ready for testing in humans.
Quintessence Biosciences recently was honored by the Wisconsin Biotechnology and Medical Device Association as one of its five Rising Stars.
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