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Twinstrand Therapeutics Inc. Files IND Application For Immunogen in Ricin Antidote Study |
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26 Sep 2007 |
Twinstrand Therapeutics Inc. today announced that it has filed an Investigational New Drug Application with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for the immunization of humans with a benign ricin-like toxoid
BURNABY, Canada | September 25, 2007 | Twinstrand Therapeutics Inc. today announced that it has filed an Investigational New Drug (IND) Application with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the immunization of humans with a benign ricin-like toxoid.
“This is the first significant step in the clinical development of an antidote to ricin poisoning,” says Twinstrand’s CEO Dr. Thor Borgford. Ricin, a highly potent toxin derived from the castor bean plant, is a significant bioterror threat for which there is currently no antidote.
In September 2006, Twinstrand announced a contract with the U.S. Department of Defense’s Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA) to fund development of a medical countermeasure to ricin. Twinstrand anticipates that an antidote product will be available for emergency use in humans by the end of 2008, says Dr. Borgford.
About Twinstrand – Twinstrand is a private clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company dedicated to the discovery and development of biological drugs for the treatment of life threatening diseases. Established in 1995, the company has offices and laboratories in Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada.
Twinstrand’s platform is based on a unique ‘prodrug’ targeting concept that is able to discriminate between healthy and diseased cells by the differential expression of certain proteases in these tissues. Research is currently focused on the development of drugs for the treatment of cancer. In addition, the Company has ownership of a platform with broad potential in the treatment of diseases including, but not limited to; hepatitis C, HIV/AIDS, hepatitis A, cytomegalovirus, parasitic infections such as malaria and schistosomiasis, and fungal diseases.
SOURCE: Twinstrand Therapeutics Inc. |
