Project Grant R43TR004025

This Project Grant awarded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) under the Mathematical and Physical Sciences (CFDA 47.049) program provides $418,579 to Cornell University to develop a new class of bioconjugates to improve the intracellular delivery of peptide-based proteolysis targeting chimeras (PEPTACs) for proteome-editing applications. The key objectives are to study the impact of conjugation site on antibody-PEPTAC conjugate (APC) transport and the release kinetics of PEPTAC-cell...

Federal Grant Award Summary Asko Therapeutics, Inc. received a $700,054 Project Grant from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences under the Biomedical Research and Research Training program (CFDA 93.859), effective August 1, 2025 through July 31, 2026. The award supports the development of novel injectable pencil lead-type poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) implants designed to enable long-term, controlled local delivery of therapeutic monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) to...

This $252,906 National Science Foundation project grant supports the development of scalable manufacturing methods for peptide amphiphile molecules by Amphix Bio Inc. The goal is to advance a safer and more affordable alternative to recombinant proteins currently used in spinal fusion surgeries. Over 500,000 such surgeries are performed annually in the U.S. to treat back and neck pain. While peptide amphiphiles show promise for reducing biological dose needs and offering consistent outcomes,...

Nostopharma LLC was awarded a $256,000 Small Business Technology Transfer Phase I Project Grant from the National Science Foundation to develop a sustained-release, biodegradable nanoparticle drug delivery system for treatment of soft tissue trauma complications. Funded under the NSF Technology, Innovation, and Partnerships program (CFDA 47.084), the 12-month project beginning March 1, 2022 aims to demonstrate in vitro and in vivo feasibility of modulating the ectopic bone microenvironment...

This Project Grant award from the National Science Foundation's Division of Chemistry under the Mathematical and Physical Sciences (CFDA 47.049) program supports a collaborative research effort led by Emory University and the University of Illinois Chicago to design and develop peptide-based filamentous nanomaterials. The $300,000 award, effective from August 1, 2024 to July 31, 2027, will leverage computational methods to systematically explore the energetics and structural designability of...

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has awarded a $1,333,682 Project Grant under the Trans-NIH Research Support program (CFDA 93.310) to North Carolina State University (NC State) to develop peptide inhibitors that neutralize bacterial toxins and deliver them using engineered probiotic yeast. This 3-year project aims to expand on NC State's previous work identifying a lead peptide inhibitor of Clostridioides difficile toxin, by screening for inhibitors of 5 additional bacterial toxins. The...

The National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (NIBIB) awarded a $388,575 Project Grant (R21EB035260) to Rutgers, The State University in New Jersey. The grant, under the NIBIB's "Discovery and Applied Research for Technological Innovations to Improve Human Health" program (CFDA 93.286), aims to develop a platform technology for encapsulating bioactive proteins, such as Bone Morphogenic Protein 2 (BMP-2), within hydrophobic polymer matrices. This will enable the...

This National Science Foundation (NSF) Technology, Innovation, and Partnerships (CFDA 47.084) Project Grant award of $275,000 to Delaqua Pharmaceuticals, Inc. aims to enhance the therapeutic use of hydrophobic drugs through a polymeric micelle approach to drug solubilization. The key objectives are to 1) improve the formulation of spherical micelles for enhanced stability and drug solubilization, 2) perform initial toxicity studies to establish the safety of the platform, and 3) demonstrate...

Federal Grant Award Summary Peptiforge, Inc. received a $306,872 Phase 1 Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Project Grant from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS) under the Biomedical Research and Research Training program (CFDA 93.859) for the period of September 1, 2025 through August 31, 2026. The company is developing an accelerated platform technology for rapid protein binder discovery, designed to be at least 50 times faster and 50 times less expensive than...

Summary of Federal Cooperative Agreement Award Akyso Therapeutics, LLC (doing business as The Drug Delivery Co LLC) received a $2.93 million Cooperative Agreement from the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) under the Drug Use and Addiction Research Programs (CFDA 93.279) to develop an extended-release buprenorphine implant for treating opioid use disorder (OUD). The award, effective August 1, 2025, through July 31, 2027, supports the development of a bioabsorbable, subcutaneous implant...