TransMolecular receives SBIR Grants for sodium channel pain drugs and venom-based oncology compounds
The first grant, for $128,351, will support development of a novel sodium ion channel as a discovery target for novel analgesics. The second grant, for $131,702, will be used to study peptide and recombinant toxin therapies based on the peptide chlorotoxin (a component of scorpion venom), which appears to be active against glioma (brain cancer). Chlorotoxin-based drugs target chloride ion channels found on gliomas and highly invasive peripheral neuroectodermal tumors such as melanoma, small cell lung carcinoma, and neuroblastoma.
About TransMolecular
Founded in July 1996 by Stephen G. Waxman of Yale University and Harald W. Sontheimer of the University of Alabama, TransMolecular develops therapies and diagnostic products for diseases of the central nervous system and related tissues.
Targeted ion channel therapy
TransMolecular has targeted three diseases applicable to its technology platforms: cancer, edema, and neuropathic pain. Several products for primary brain tumors are in various stages of development, with clinical trials expected to begin next year. TransMolecular's technology, licensed from Yale and the University of Alabama, is based on ion channels selectively expressed in the central nervous system and related tissues.
TransMolecular's molecular targeting approach identifies pathways or targets on tumor cells and destroys them without harming the normal cells. One such approach involves chlorotoxin, a component of venom obtained from the giant yellow Israeli scorpion, Lerius quinquestriatus, as a drug delivery vehicle. The toxin binds specifically to ion channels found on primary brain tumors or gliomas, but not normal tissues. Therapeutic cargo, including radioisotopes, cytotoxic chemicals, and cytolytic agents, are attached to the 36-amino acid chlorotoxin molecule and targeted to tumors.
With its focus on brain cancer, the company is targeting a disease for which there is an unmet medical need. TransMolecular's products are likely to receive Orphan Drug status as only 20,000-24,000 patients are diagnosed with glioma each year. The company will apply for Fast Track development for its therapies for glioma with the FDA.
TransMolecular received its first round of financing in September 1997 from Tullis-Dickerson & Co. Inc., a healthcare venture capital firm based in Greenwich, Connecticut. Tullis-Dickerson also participated in a recent Series B financing totaling $9 million. Additional participants in the second round were TVM Techno Venture Management GmbH of Munich, Germany; President Life Sciences Co. Ltd. of Taipei, Taiwan; Pacific Horizon Partners III of Seattle; and Portrush Group and Suttle Brothers Investments, both of Gadsden, Alabama.
For more information, contact Matthew Gonda, CEO of TransMolecular Inc., at 205-870-3555.
Edited by Angelo DePalma
Managing Editor, Drug Discovery Online