The National Cancer Institute (NCI), under the Cancer Treatment Research Federal Grant Program (CFDA 93.395), awarded a $1.2M project grant to Covira Surgical, Inc. to develop a novel phosphate-rich mucoadhesive polyethylene glycol agent, CS-0003, for preventing chemotherapy-related gastrointestinal toxicities and infections in cancer patients. The 1-year project, starting on Sep 18, 2024, aims to demonstrate the safety and efficacy of CS-0003 in ameliorating chemotherapy-induced toxicity and...
This Project Grant award from the National Cancer Institute (CFDA 93.395 - Cancer Treatment Research) provides funding to Osel, Inc., a biotechnology company based in Mountain View, California, to develop a novel antimicrobial approach to treat chemoradiation-resistant cervical cancer. The key products and services to be delivered under this $295,881 award, which runs from May 2025 to April 2026, are: Synthesis and characterization of a selective bacteriocin inhibitor, GASK7B, that can...
This $325,139 federal Project Grant award, funded by the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS), 93.350 program, aims to examine the feasibility of using target-specific polyclonal antibodies to neutralize bioactive molecules in the gut microbiome. The primary goals are to 1) determine the impact of six proteins identified as overabundant in inflammatory gut disorders, and 2) evaluate the ability of immunoglobulin Y (IgY) antibodies to neutralize the physiological impacts...
This Project Grant award from the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (CFDA 93.350) provides $317,029 in funding to Chemia Biosciences, Inc., a small disadvantaged business, to develop advanced computational methods and software tools for discovering novel antimicrobial natural products. The project aims to leverage high-throughput mass spectrometry and genome mining techniques to identify new polysaccharides and aminoglycosides, a class of antibiotics, to address the growing...
This Project Grant award from the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH) under CFDA Program 93.213 - Research and Training in Complementary and Integrative Health, provides $506,000.00 in funding to the Scripps Research Institute in La Jolla, CA from September 13, 2024 to August 31, 2026. The award supports research to develop orally available recombinant peptidoglycan hydrolase therapeutics that can promote intestinal barrier function and protect against enteric...
This $1,000,000 Project Grant award from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), under the Allergy and Infectious Diseases Research program (CFDA 93.855), supports Curza Inc.'s development of a new class of broad-spectrum oral antibiotics targeting multidrug-resistant Gram-negative bacterial infections. The key goals of this 3-year grant include optimizing the oral bioavailability of the company's lead CZ-02 antibiotic candidates, conducting in vivo pharmacokinetic and...
This federal Project Grant award from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Institute of Food and Agriculture (CFDA 10.212 - Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Program / Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Program) provides $175,000 to Seia Bio Inc. to develop a proprietary coating technology that protects beneficial probiotic microbes, such as Faecalibacterium, from environmental stressors. This will enable the expanded use of these microbes as alternatives to antibiotics...
This Project Grant award of $305,000 from the National Science Foundation (NSF) Technology, Innovation, and Partnerships (CFDA 47.084) program supports the development of a platform of biomimetic mucins to address recurrent bacterial infections. The awardee, Kapha Bio, Inc., aims to create a library of biomimetic mucins that can be incorporated into personal care and dietary supplements to restore mucosal tissue homeostasis and reduce infection and recurrence rates for conditions like gum...
The federal Project Grant award of R18HS030070 from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) under the Research on Healthcare Costs, Quality and Outcomes (CFDA 93.226) program provides $800,000 to disseminate a facilitation strategy to de-implement unnecessary post-operative antibiotic use at 20 U.S. children's hospitals. The project aims to adapt an existing evidence-based facilitation strategy, deliver it through virtual workshops to antimicrobial stewardship program (ASP) teams...
This Project Grant award from the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (NIBIB), under the Discovery and Applied Research for Technological Innovations to Improve Human Health program (CFDA 93.286), provides $571,410 to Pharynvac Surgical Technology Inc. to develop a novel device called "Pharynvac" that can mitigate key issues in sinonasal surgeries. Specifically, the Pharynvac device aims to reduce surgical staff exposure to pathogens and toxins, prevent...
A NOVEL, NON-ANTIBIOTIC, MICROBIOME-DIRECTED AGENT TO PREVENT POST-SURGICAL INFECTION - SUMMARY COVIRA SURGICAL, INC. IS DEVELOPING CS-0003, A FIRST-IN-CLASS, ORALLY ADMINISTERED NON-ANTIBIOTIC THERAPY FOR PREVENTING INFECTIONS IN PATIENTS UNDERGOING GASTROINTESTINAL (GI) SURGERIES. DESPITE IMPROVED SURGICAL PROCEDURES, BROAD USE OF ANTIBIOTICS, MANDATED ASEPSIS MEASURES, AND ENHANCED RECOVERY PROGRAMS, POST-SURGICAL INFECTIONS REMAIN A CLEAR AND PRESENT DANGER TO PATIENTS. SURGICAL SITE INFECTIONS (SSIS) ARE A MAJOR CAUSE OF MORBIDITY, PROLONGED HOSPITALIZATION, INCREASED HEALTHCARE EXPENDITURES, AND MORTALITY FOR THE APPROXIMATELY FOUR MILLION AMERICANS WHO UNDERGO INPATIENT GI SURGERY ANNUALLY. WHILE SSIS CAN RESULT FROM DIRECT INTRAOPERATIVE CONTAMINATION OF THE SURGICAL SITE, EMERGING EVIDENCE SUGGESTS THAT MANY, IF NOT MOST SSIS (WOUND INFECTIONS, ORGAN SPACE INFECTIONS, ANASTOMOTIC LEAKS) MAY ORIGINATE FROM THE PATIENT'S OWN MICROBIOTA. COMMON PATHOGENS CAUSING SUCH COMPLICATIONS (I.E., ENTEROCOCCUS FAECALIS, PSEUDOMONAS AERUGINOSA) MAY BE PRESENT IN THE GUT BEFORE SURGERY. IT IS ESTIMATED THAT 50% OR MORE OF THE PATHOGENS CAUSING SSIS ARE NOW RESISTANT TO ANTIBIOTICS CHOSEN FOR PROPHYLAXIS. CS-0003 PREVENTS SSI BY MAINTAINING THE HEALTH-PROMOTING EFFECTS OF THE NATIVE GUT MICROBIOTA WHILE SUPPRESSING THE VIRULENCE OF THE PROLIFERATING PATHOBIOTA. CS-0003 DIRECTLY SUPPRESSES BACTERIAL VIRULENCE WITHOUT AFFECTING BACTERIAL GROWTH: IT PROVIDES MICROBES WITH A READILY AVAILABLE SOURCE OF PHOSPHATE WHILE PROVIDING A PHYSICAL SHIELD AGAINST BACTERIA FROM ADHERING TO AND INVADING THE EPITHELIAL SURFACE. CS-0003 IS INTENDED FOR USE IMMEDIATELY BEFORE AND AFTER SURGERY. RODENT STUDIES SHOW THAT CS-0003 PREVENTS SSI AGAINST MULTIPLE HUMAN PATHOGENS AND ACROSS VARIOUS SURGICAL MODELS RELEVANT TO THE HUMAN CONDITION. THE OVERALL OBJECTIVE OF THIS FAST-TRACK STTR IS TO ADVANCE THE PRECLINICAL AND CLINICAL DEVELOPMENT OF CS-0003 AS AN ADJUNCTIVE MEASURE TO PREVENT SSIS. IN PHASE I, WE WILL DEMONSTRATE CS-0003 EFFICACY IN A LARGE ANIMAL MODEL. IN PHASE II, WE WILL DEVELOP METHODS FOR LARGE-SCALE CS-0003 PRODUCTION AND THEN PERFORM COMPREHENSIVE PRECLINICAL TESTING. SUCCESSFUL COMPLETION OF THE PROJECT WILL PROVIDE THE DATA REQUIRED FOR IND SUBMISSION.