Nanobac Pharmaceuticals Inc. Launches Landmark Study to Explore Heart Disease Properties of Calcifying Nanoparticles
Monday September 25, 8:00 am ET
TAMPA, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nanobac Pharmaceuticals Inc. (OTCBB:NNBP - News; "Nanobac" or "the Company") and Mayo Clinic have reached an agreement to study whether calcifying nanoparticles, already found in atherosclerotic plaque, are infectious and contribute to the onset of heart disease.
The identification of the cause of calcification would be a landmark in heart disease research. While many pathogens have been identified as a possible cause of calcification in the blood vessels of heart disease patients, to date, no smoking gun has been identified.
The study, "Nanoparticles and Arterial Calcification," will be led by Virginia Miller, Ph.D., with John Lieske, M.D., and Franklin Cockerill, M.D., all of the Mayo Clinic. It is part of a multi-pronged initiative by scientists internationally to determine the disease-causing characteristics of calcifying nanoparticles (CNPs), known as nanobacteria(1). Each of the researchers has published work in peer-reviewed journals regarding the potential role of CNPs in heart disease.
"These Mayo Clinic researchers are among leading investigators into the disease-related aspects of CNPs," said Nanobac Pharmaceuticals' co-chair Dr. Benedict Maniscalco, himself a cardiologist who has published research in the field. "We have studied the process of calcification for years and have documented evidence that will set the course for this next phase of the research."
The study represents an acceleration of research into the infectious aspects of calcifying nanoparticles following findings published by other researchers earlier this year that CNPs provoke stone forming disease in an animal model. Other concurrent studies are occurring in China, Finland, and at world-class facilities in Cleveland, Washington D.C. and at Johnson Space Center in Houston. Those studies are directed at other disease-causing characteristics of CNPs and potential therapies.
Nanobac and Mayo Clinic have had a general collaboration agreement since 2005.
(1) (Note to editors: the term "Calcifying Nanoparticle (CNP)" has been adopted in recently published literature to help distinguish these particles from bacteria.)
About Nanobac Pharmaceuticals: Nanobac Pharmaceuticals Inc. is a life sciences company dedicated to the discovery and development of products and services to improve people's health through the detection and treatment of Calcifying Nanoparticles (CNPs), otherwise known as "nanobacteria." The company's pioneering research is establishing the pathogenic role of CNPs in soft tissue calcification, particularly in coronary artery, prostate and vascular disease.
Nanobac's drug discovery and development is focused on new and existing compounds that effectively inhibit, destroy or neutralize CNPs. Nanobac manufactures In Vitro Diagnostic (IVD) kits and reagents for detecting calcifying nanoparticles. IVD products include a line of assays, proprietary antibodies and reagents for uniquely recognizing CNPs. Nanobac's BioAnalytical Services works with biopharmaceutical partners to develop and apply methods for avoiding, detecting, and inactivating or eliminating CNPs from raw materials.
Nanobac Pharmaceuticals Inc. is headquartered in Tampa, Florida. For more information, visit our website at: nanobac.com .
Contact:
Nanobac Pharmaceuticals Inc., Tampa
Douglas Mulhall, 813-264-2241
or
Redwood Consultants
Jens Dalsgaard, 415-884-0348
Source: Nanobac Pharmaceuticals Inc. |
