Altea receives grant to study non-invasive insulin delivery

The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), a division of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), has awarded Altea Development Corp. (Atlanta) a $99,910 Phase I grant to study the company's MicroPor system for non-invasive delivery of insulin. The patented technology creates microscopic pores in the outermost dead layer of skin cells, opening tiny pathways to the underlying viable tissues.

The MicroPor system enables needleless infusion of biotechnology products with delivery profiles that can be tailored as desired for different applications—a steady infusion of the drug, a bolus delivery, or a combination of basal plus on-demand bolus, as required. In pilot clinical studies, the technology successfully delivery physiologically relevant amounts of peptides and proteins in with compounds such as insulin and parathyroid hormone (1-34), and with other macromolecules of greater than 40,000 daltons.

Altea will use the SBIR grant to evaluate the clinical delivery profile of insulin through MicroPor in response to parameters such as low-dose current. Altea's chief medical officer, Harry Delcher, will be the principal investigator on the grant program.

The non-invasive monitoring applications of the MicroPor technology are licensed to SpectRx Inc., who is developing the glucose monitoring products with Abbott Laboratories.

Altea is a member of the privately held family of companies developing the MicroPor technology for drug delivery applications, including delivery of vaccines and gene therapy products by Altea Genomics; and delivery of peptides and proteins, as well as small molecules requiring rapid and on-demand onset of action, by Altea Development Corp.

For more information: Deborah Eppstein, Altea Development Corp., 2056 Weems Rd., Atlanta, GA 30084. Tel: 801-303-0306.

Edited by Jim Pomager
Assistant Editor, Drug Discovery Online