CEL-SCI CORPORATION — Department of Health and Human Services SBIR Phase I: DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Currently, FDA-licensed pharmaceuticals used to treat
CEL-SCI CORPORATION — SBIR Phase I award from Department of Health and Human Services.
- Amount
- $224,999
- Agency
- Department of Health and Human Services · National Institutes of Health
- Program / Phase
- SBIR · Phase I
- Solicitation
- PA13-234
- NAICS
- —
- Place of performance
- VA
- Period
- —
Description
DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Currently, FDA-licensed pharmaceuticals used to treat rheumatoid arthritis (RA) focus largely on alleviation of symptoms, either through pain management, general immunosuppression, or by antagonizing cytokines such as TNF-?. Despite recent advances in biologic therapies, these treatments do not address the underlying autoimmune condition. Ligand epitope antigen presentation system (L.E.A.P.S. ) conjugates are a peptide vaccine platform designed to modulate the immune response in an antigen-specific manner. LEAPS are composed of two peptide components, an immune cell binding ligand (ICBL) and a peptide (epitope) implicated in an infectious or autoimmune disease. The ICBLs include peptide J from human -2 microglobulin, with Th1-polarizing activity, and peptide derG (or G) from human MHC class II chain with Th2 polarizing activity. In mice with collagen-induced arthritis (CIA), a Th17-mediated disease, a J-collagen peptide conjugate reduced disease severity by suppressing