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Nanotherapeutics and the Vaccine Branch of the National Cancer Institute Enter Into Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA)

Posted on: Tuesday, 7 August 2007, 12:22 CDT

Nanotherapeutics, Inc. announced today that it has entered into a two year Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) with the Vaccine Branch of the National Cancer Institute (NCI) to produce HIV peptide oral vaccine nanoparticles using the company's proprietary technology. The collaboration with NCI will employ the company's nanoparticle delivery system, which enables oral targeted delivery of macromolecules such as peptides, to facilitate oral delivery in the GI tract to improve immune response.

James D. Talton, Ph.D., President of Nanotherapeutics and co-founder of the company, is the company's principal investigator on the project. Dr. Talton said, "The CRADA marks a significant milestone for the company and an important step in the development of novel HIV vaccines. When the NCI came to us to request our help in their HIV oral vaccine project, naturally, we were excited that our technology was recognized by them and that the Vaccine Branch had chosen to collaborate with us in this vital area of HIV research and development."

Also commenting on the CRADA, Mento A. "Chuck" Soponis, Chairman and CEO of Nanotherapeutics said, "This recognition is further validation of the work Dr. Talton and our scientists have been conducting over the past several years in the area of stabilized particle-based vaccine delivery. Entering into this collaborative relationship with the NCI's Vaccine Branch, demonstrates both the scientific and competitive strength of Nanotherapeutics."

In 2005, Nanotherapeutics received funding from National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) to develop an oral nanoparticle medication to treat opiate addiction. The company also received funding from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), as part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) research program on Medical Countermeasures against Radiological and Nuclear Threats, to improve the delivery of an injectable treatment, and from Project Bioshield.

About Nanotherapeutics

Nanotherapeutics Inc., an emerging specialty pharmaceutical company with expertise in the early-stage development of pharmaceuticals, is a privately held corporation located in Florida. The company is a provider of specialized drug delivery systems that use the company's discoveries in nanotechnology to develop novel drug therapies or improved formulations for existing therapies. The company employs several platform technologies to manipulate and enhance the properties of drugs. These technologies can be employed with new chemical entities or with generic drugs and can be used with the spectrum of existing drug types ranging from small synthetic molecules to large recombinant macromolecules.

Significant advances have been made in the area of nanometer-scale particle delivery and Nanotherapeutics has created three proprietary drug delivery technologies: NanoQUAD™, NanoDRY™, and NanoCOAT™. These specialized proprietary techniques can improve the release rate and enhance both the rate and extent of drug uptake, thus increasing bioavailability. The consequences of these changes include more consistent drug therapy with potentially reduced dose and dose frequency requirements and fewer side effects.

For more information about Nanotherapeutics visit the company's website at www.nanotherapeutics.com.

Source: Business Wire

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