Corixa Awarded $11.6 Million from NIH Biodefense Partnership to Develop Proprietary Molecules That Activate the Immune System
Monday January 5, 7:03 am ET
Corixa's TLR4 Product Candidates May Provide Protective Immunity to a Wide Variety of Infectious Agents
SEATTLE--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 5, 2004-- Corixa Corporation (Nasdaq:CRXA - News), a developer of immunotherapeutics, today announced it has been awarded an $11.6 million, five-year contract from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), to develop Corixa's proprietary synthetic molecules that act on a receptor known as TLR4, a member of a newly recognized family of receptors called Toll-like receptors, or TLRs. Corixa's drug candidates have been shown in preclinical studies to activate the immune system to protect against infections, especially those that affect the respiratory tract. The contract is being funded by the Biodefense Partnership program at the NIH.
The class of drug candidates being developed by Corixa act on TLRs, with the potential to generate protective immunity to a wide variety of infectious agents. Stimulation of these receptors may induce the immune system to prevent infections of various types, especially those transmitted by inhalation. TLR4 -- the TLR that is the focus of Corixa's efforts -- is uniquely accessible in the upper and lower airways and is the focus of much research in the areas of infectious and atopic diseases of the airways.
This award allows Corixa to further develop its proprietary TLR4 targeted compounds and leverages preclinical research that has shown in mice that an experimental nasal spray can suppress infection with influenza virus and another common virus, the respiratory syncitial virus, as well as a number of bacterial organisms that infect the airways. In these experimental mice models, Corixa scientists have shown that a single intranasal dose can provide a window of protection that lasts approximately one week. Corixa scientists hope to develop a new type of vaccine that provides continuous protection within 12-24 hours after the first intranasal dose is delivered (other vaccines can take weeks to months to generate protection). Corixa has conducted proof of principle studies in mice, showing rapid vaccine-induced protection against otherwise lethal levels of influenza virus challenge.
"We are gratified that the NIH Biodefense Partnership program has shown interest in our TLR4-targeted compounds," said David H. Persing, M.D., Ph.D, vice president of Discovery Research at Corixa and principal investigator on the contract. "This award will provide Corixa with resources for completing the transition between discovery-stage activities and clinical evaluation of the protective effects of these compounds. This project is an important step in the continued development of our proprietary family of TLR4 targeted compounds for the treatment and prevention of infectious disease. We are very pleased that the NIH recognizes the potential value of this technology and we look forward to developing TLR4-targeted products that could be used to treat and prevent a number of infectious diseases in the future."
About Corixa
Corixa is a developer of immunotherapeutics with a commitment to treating and preventing cancer and infectious diseases by understanding and directing the immune system. On June 30, 2003, Corixa announced that the FDA approved BEXXAR for the treatment of patients with CD20 positive, follicular, NHL, with and without transformation, whose disease is refractory to Rituximab and has relapsed following chemotherapy.
Corixa is focused on immunotherapeutic products and has a broad technology platform enabling both fully integrated vaccine design and the use of its separate, proprietary product components on a standalone basis. In addition to BEXXAR, Corixa currently has multiple programs in clinical development, including several product candidates that have advanced to and through late stage clinical trials. The company partners with numerous developers and marketers of pharmaceuticals, targeting products that are Powered by Corixa(TM) technology with the goal of making its potential products available to patients around the world. Corixa was founded in 1994 and is headquartered in Seattle, with additional operations in Hamilton, Mont., and South San Francisco. For more information, please visit Corixa's Web site at corixa.com. |
