Peregrine's anti-PS antibodies are also generating positive data in preclinical HIV studies conducted by researchers from leading universities and medical research institutions in the U.S. and U.K. with funding from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the National Institutes of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID). These studies have yielded promising results that support the potential of PS-targeting agents for use as therapeutics, in vaccines and as topical microbicides, an especially promising application urgently needed in the effort to help women avoid infection with HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases such as herpes viruses and chlamydia. In addition, collaborators are also investigating the utility of PS-targeting antibodies against CMV infections and leishmaniasis, a protozoan disease that attacks people and cattle in tropical regions, with devastating effects on both health and economic well-being.
Under a major biodefense initiative funded by the Defense Threat Reduction Agency for the Transformational Medical Technologies Initiative (TMTI), bavituximab and a fully human equivalent antibody are in preclinical development for the treatment of viral hemorrhagic fevers under a contract worth up to $44.4 million. This contract, which is funding work at Peregrine and at several collaborating institutions, was awarded based on positive data from earlier studies in animals infected with VHF that was funded by a previous grant from NIAID. This work is going well, and Peregrine intends to report early results at an upcoming biodefense conference. NIAID also recently awarded a new VHF grant to Peregrine's collaborators at UT Southwestern Medical Center.
Dr. Amy Brideau-Andersen will be directing the new Anti-Viral Research Group. Before joining Peregrine in 2006, she played an important role in the discovery and development of novel anti-viral drugs at Valeant Pharmaceuticals and at Maxygen, Inc. Dr. Brideau-Andersen completed her post-doctoral training in virology at The Scripps Research Institute. She earned B.S/M.S. degrees from Worcester Polytechnic Institute and was awarded a Ph.D. in molecular biology from Princeton University.
"As a virologist, I am excited about the opportunity to lead this initiative," said Dr. Brideau-Andersen. "PS is a novel host-derived target that is present in many different viral infections. It has the potential to help harness the body's own immune defenses to combat infection while avoiding the problems of resistance that have limited the utility of many anti-viral agents. We look forward to working proactively with both our current collaborators and with the many scientific and medical organizations that are coming to us seeking to learn more about this important new approach."
SOURCE Peregrine Pharmaceuticals, Inc.