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ACPHS News
For Immediate Release
Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences Receives $1.37 Million Grant
to Assist in Development of Anthrax Antidote
Grant Marks the Largest Award in the Five Year History
of the College's Pharmaceutical Research Insititure
ALBANY , N.Y. - January 15, 2009 - The Pharmaceutical Research Institute (PRI) at Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences will receive a total of $1,367,191 over the next five years as part of a joint effort with researchers at the University of Toronto, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and Biophage Pharma Inc. to develop an antidote (‘antitoxin') for anthrax. The research grant is being funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), with a total of $6.2 million allocated to the four institutions. Work on the project has already been initiated.
Shaker Mousa, Ph.D., executive vice president and chairman of PRI, will lead the team of PRI investigators who will focus their part of the research in two areas: (1) Formulation Studies - which will help optimize the concentrations of ingredients in the antidote and (2) Stability Testing - which will help extend the shelf life of the antidote. This research, in conjunction with the work being done by the other collaborators, is designed to help pave the way for human clinical trials of an anthrax antidote by 2013.
“The best chance for successful treatment of anthrax rests in the ability to remove the anthrax toxin from the body as quickly as possible. Through the collective efforts of PRI, University of Toronto, Rensselaer and Biophage Pharma, we hope to develop a drug that will offer a powerful complement to conventional antibiotic treatments of anthrax poisoning, allowing us to remove the anthrax toxin from the body swiftly and completely,” said Dr. Mousa.
Scientists from the University of Toronto and Rensselaer received a five-year grant in 2003 from NIH which resulted in the development of an anthrax inhibitor that performed well in small-scale animal tests. The success of their work prompted this second five year research award from NIH to continue the research with the goal of developing a drug that is suitable for clinical use.
Antibiotics are typically used to treat patients with anthrax, but even with aggressive treatments, they are only clinically effective when administered shortly after infection. If successfully developed, the anthrax antitoxin would offer an additional form of treatment with greater potential for successfully treating patients in the later stages of the disease when standard antibiotic treatments are typically ineffective.
The Pharmaceutical Research Institute at Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences marked its fifth anniversary in 2003. Under Dr. Mousa's direction, the Institute has obtained research grants and equipment donations totaling more than $13 million. PRI staff has grown from three employees to 48 over the past five years, with international experts in the fields of nanotechnology, medicinal chemistry, molecular biology, stem cell and cell biology now working at the Institute.
With the development of its Center for NanoPharmaceuticals in 2006, PRI expanded its technology platforms to attack diseases ranging from cancer to macular degeneration with nanotechnology – using particles 10,000 times smaller than a human hair to steer drugs to specific cellular targets while minimizing risks and side effects. Nanotechnology will also play a key role in the development of the anthrax antidote.
The Institute also works to foster interest in research science among students in the Albany region. PRI hosts students not only from Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, but also other area colleges and high schools. Through PRI, these students have an opportunity available to participate in advanced scientific research and learn how new drug discoveries are made.
In addition to working with regional and national partners, PRI has opened international collaborations over the past five years with academic, pharmaceutical, and biotechnology institutes in Japan , Saudi Arabia , Kuwait , United Arab Emirates , Egypt , Germany , France , England , Denmark , Australia , India , and others.
The project described was supported by Award Number U01AI056546 from the National Institute Of Allergy And Infectious Diseases. The content in solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institute Of Allergy And Infectious Diseases or the National Institutes of Health.
About Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences
Founded in 1881, Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences is a private, independent institution dedicated to the improvement of health. The College has educational programs and research activities spanning the full spectrum of pharmacy and health sciences - from drug discovery and development to patient counseling and health care to studying health outcomes. More than 1,500 ACPHS students are pursuing a wide range of career pathways in the health care field through degree programs in pharmacy, pharmaceutical sciences, biomedical technology and health and human sciences.
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Contact:
Gil Chorbajian
Executive Director of Marketing and Communications
Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences
518-694-7394