Diversa Receives Award From the Department of Defense's Chemical and Biological Defense (CBD) Initiatives Fund
Award to Support New Efforts to Detect and Counter Biological Attacks Using Antibodies
SAN DIEGO, June 16 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Diversa Corporation (Nasdaq: DVSA - News) today announced that one of its BioDefense proposals has been selected to receive a $1.38 million award from the Department of Defense's Chemical and Biological Defense (CBD) Initiatives Fund to develop diagnostic and therapeutic antibodies against anthrax and to identify new targets associated with anthrax and plague pathology. Diversa plans to work closely with Dr. Arthur Friedlander and Dr. Randal Schoepp of the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases (USAMRIID) toward USAMRIID's goal of developing diagnostics and therapeutics against pathogens that could be used in the battlefield or against civilians. The activities to be funded are part of Diversa's "Rapid, Antibody-Based Biological Countermeasures" (RABBC) BioDefense program for the development of a collection of novel human antibodies designed to provide both diagnostic detection capabilities and passive immunity protection against pathogens and toxins.
"Diversa's Human Antibody Program employs innovative approaches for the development of novel, improved antibodies for a variety of therapeutic applications. We're gratified to have been selected by the Department of Defense to apply these technologies toward the protection of the nation against bioterrorism," stated Jay M. Short, Ph.D., President and CEO of Diversa Corporation. "This award is the latest development in Diversa's ongoing efforts to apply its genomic discovery and evolution technologies to pharmaceutical challenges, including BioDefense applications."
Upon completion of the formal contracting process with the Department of Defense relating to the award, the funds will be applied to the following three projects, each of which is aimed at addressing the threat posed to military personnel and civilians by biowarfare agents:
1. Identification of an optimized antibody against anthrax capsule.
Diversa will apply its evolution technologies towards generating an
optimized antibody for diagnostic and potential therapeutic uses based
on a USAMRIID antibody candidate.
2. Analysis of blood serum from the survivors of the fall 2001 anthrax
attacks to identify novel protein targets for therapeutics. This
funding would expand Diversa's initial proteomic analysis of Bacillus
anthracis currently being conducted under a Cooperative Research and
Development Agreement with USAMRIID signed in June 2002.
3. Identification of novel protein targets associated with plague by
applying Diversa's unique, advanced proteomics capabilities, which
allow large numbers of proteins to be detected through the unique use
of 3D liquid chromatography (LC) directly coupled with tandem mass
spectroscopy (MS/MS).
Advantages of Diversa's Antibody Technologies in BioDefense
Diversa's RABBC strategy is to deliver a collection of human therapeutic antibodies designed to provide both diagnostic detection capabilities and passive immunity protection against pathogens and toxins. Because antibodies can stimulate the host immune system, as well as neutralize toxin and pathogen virulence, Diversa's RABBC strategy may provide several significant advantages to the military and civilian authorities:
1. Human antibodies provide immediate protection upon infusion and can
shorten the time required (when compared with vaccines, for example)
to make troops battle ready. In addition, the long half-life of
antibodies in human serum would likely provide protection for about
three months in the field.
2. Human antibodies are part of the body's natural defense mechanism and
therefore provide a low toxicity alternative when compared to some
vaccines and antibiotics. Such an alternative prophylactic therapy
may lead to better compliance within the armed services.
3. The RABBC approach includes built-in redundancy so that antibiotic
resistance or engineered pathogens are less likely to evade detection
and treatment.
4. Diversa's technologies have the potential to isolate antibodies
against targets that have been difficult or refractory in the past and
to quickly address new pathogens that have not been observed
previously.
5. Since antibodies are a class of proteins, they can be rapidly
optimized using comprehensive molecular evolution technologies
developed at Diversa for improved properties such as longer serum
half-life, improved potency, and better shelf-life.
6. Diversa's technologies are targeting increased efficiency and a
reduction in production time for human therapeutic and diagnostic
antibodies.
About Passive Immunity
One of Diversa's methods to counter the danger posed by biological weapons is based on a "passive immunity" approach. Passive immunity is achieved in an individual by injecting antibodies raised against the target pathogen (or one or more toxins produced by the pathogen) and thereby stimulating the immune system to subsequently recognize and fight a potentially dangerous infection by the pathogen. Part of Diversa's BioDefense strategy is to apply its new, proprietary technologies to develop human antibodies in vitro against pathogens and toxins that will not only stimulate the host immune system but also neutralize toxin and pathogen virulence. This strategy simultaneously addresses both pathogens themselves as well as the toxins they produce, and assumes that pathogens will be engineered in the future to avoid well-established protective mechanisms. |
