PLANET BIOTECHNOLOGY, INC. — Department of Health and Human Services SBIR Phase I: DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The goal of this research is to develop an economical
PLANET BIOTECHNOLOGY, INC. — SBIR Phase I award from Department of Health and Human Services.
- Amount
- $219,367
- Agency
- Department of Health and Human Services · National Institutes of Health
- Program / Phase
- SBIR · Phase I
- Solicitation
- PA13-234
- NAICS
- —
- Place of performance
- CA
- Period
- —
Description
DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The goal of this research is to develop an economical, safe, effective therapy to reverse the activity of the catalytic component, LF, of the Bacillus anthracis toxin (lethal toxin), within the cytoplasm of the intoxicated cell. Success in achieving this goal will lead to better outcomes than currently seen with antibiotics or antitoxins like raxibacumab or PBI-220, and this could save countless more lives in the event of a bioterrorist attack with B. anthracis. We propose to screen the humanized camelid library to identify high-affinity single chain variable fragment, a nanobody, able to block protease activity of lethal factor (LF). We will then create genetic fusion of the nanobody that blocks LF with another domain of LF, LFN, that had the translocating activity buts is devoid of catalytic activity to enable it to be transported into the cytoplasm of mammalian cells in the presence of PA. Thus, we plan to co-opt the B. anthracis toxin delivery system to deliver,