Worcester, MA, March 23, 2015 – CellMosaic Inc. announced today that it has been awarded a Breast Cancer Research Program (BCRP) Breakthrough Award – Funding Level 1 from the Department of Defense (DOD) Office of Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs (CDMRP) for the development of a target-specific combination drug delivery system within a single molecule (called precision AqT™-warhead) to treat breast cancer. CellMosaic will receive a total of $489,931 over 2 years.
Among 372 BCRP Breakthrough Award Funding Level 1 applications received worldwide, CellMosaic is the only for-profit company of the 15 applicants recommended for funding for Fiscal Year 2014. For a complete list of Fiscal Year 2014 BCRP Breakthrough Award Funding Level 1 applications recommended for funding, please click here.
Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women worldwide. In 2010, there are 1.7 million women diagnosed with the disease worldwide. Roughly 1 in 8 American women will develop invasive breast cancer and approximately 40,000 women will die from breast cancer in the US in 2014. The majority of breast cancer deaths are associated with metastatic disease. The object of this application is to address two of the overarching challenges of the BCRP: 1) eliminate the mortality associated with metastatic breast cancer and 2) revolutionize treatment regimens by replacing drugs that have life-threatening toxicities with drugs that are safe and effective.
“Although our application was submitted in early 2014, we are happy to see that the Obama administration has stepped up the effort in precision medicine by investing $215 million in 2016. Our effort also fits into the immediate goal of the precision medicine initiative and NCI’s effort to test combinations of targeted therapies that are based on a tumor’s molecular signature, developing solutions to drug resistance. DOD Office of CDMRP certainly understands the importance and has great vision to invest projects that will have a great impact on society,” said Dr. Yumei Huang, founder and CEO of CellMosaic. “Hopefully, Precision AqT™-warheads with various targeting antibodies attached will be able to target heterogeneous cancer cells and eventually eliminate the mortality associated with metastatic breast cancer.”
About AqueaTether (AqT™) molecules
CellMosaic pioneered the concept of utilizing sugar alcohol (SA) monomers to chemically assemble AqT™ molecules with properties by design. SA is structurally analogous to polyethylene glycol (PEG) but is 64-times more hydrophilic than PEG of a comparable size. SA is also a neutral compound and has potentially low or no immunogenicity. Robust chemical methods have been established to allow a modular approach to build versatile AqT™ molecules from natural SA molecules. AqT™ linkers/polymers are by far the most hydrophilic and versatile molecules in development. CellMosaic can effectively synthesize any AqT™ molecule with superior properties that benefit a hybrid drug, such as higher loading, super-hydrophilicity, and biodegradability. This flexibility in AqT™ molecules cannot be matched by any existing linker/polymer technologies due to the versatile nature of SA monomers and the modularity of their chemistry. The current focus of novel AqT™ architectures is target-specific drug delivery, combination treatment, and enhancing the therapeutic profiles of stand-alone drugs. Extensive patent protection on the composition of AqT™ molecules and their conjugates have been filed. The USPTO issued its first patent in Oct. 2014.
About CellMosaic, Inc
CellMosaic, Inc. is an innovator and leader in bioconjugation and crosslinking technologies. Several key technologies are being developed at CellMosaic, including oxLink™ technologies for the characterization of transient protein-protein interactions and identification of drug targets; superhydrophilic AqT™ linkers for clean conjugation of antibody/protein/peptide/oligo with small molecule drugs; biocompatible, biodegradable, mono-dispersed AqT™ polymers for modification of protein/peptide/oligo drugs and preparation of highly loaded small molecule drugs for better delivery; and bioconjugation platform technologies involving screening, labeling/crosslinking, purification, and analysis of any bioconjugate. The company is also actively engaged in serving biological communities by providing custom synthesis of high quality bioconjugate products. Partnerships and licensing options are available for developing AqT™ based bioconjugate drugs. For more information, please contact Yumei Huang, President & CEO at yhuang@cellmosaic.com or 508-770-8030.
About DOD BCRP
The BCRP challenges the scientific community to design research that will address the urgency of ending breast cancer. Specifically, the BCRP seeks to accelerate high-impact research with clinical relevance, encourage innovation and stimulate creativity, and facilitate productive collaborations. Applications to the Fiscal Year 2014 (FY14) BCRP are being solicited for the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs, Defense Health Program, by the U.S. Army Medical Research Acquisitions Activity (USAMRAA). The BCRP was initiated in fiscal year 1992 (FY92) to support innovative, high-impact research focused on ending breast cancer. Appropriations for the BCRP from FY92 through FY13 totaled $2.9 billion. The FY14 appropriation is $120.0 million (M).