Longevity Biotech Awarded $225K Phase I SBIR Contract From NHLBI/NIH to Develop 5A apoA-I Mimetic Peptide for Treatment of Severe Asthma

PHILADELPHIA, Jan. 2, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Longevity Biotech Inc. (LBT) has been awarded a Phase I SBIR Contract from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), a division of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), to further the development of the 5A apoA-I mimetic peptide program for the treatment of severe asthma. The overall goal of this project is to prepare an inhalational 5A apoA-I mimetic peptide that will become the subject of a future Investigational New Drug (IND) application to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) initially focused on patients who do not respond to standard corticosteroid treatment.

"We are honored to be selected by the NHLBI/NIH to help develop this program, which expands both our immunological portfolio as well as our capabilities in less-invasive peptide delivery," said Dr. Scott Shandler, Ph.D., co-founder and CEO of Longevity Biotech.

"This program is exciting because it represents a new strategy to target fundamental pathways involved in the allergic response associated with the development of asthma. Specifically, by modulating the recruitment of specific inflammatory cells to the pulmonary system, the 5A peptide could provide dramatic improvement in clinical outcomes for severe asthmatics," said Dr. Pavan Puligujja, Ph.D., a scientist leading the project for Longevity Biotech.

"New therapeutic approaches are needed for severe asthmatics who are resistant to standard medications, and we believe an inhaled 5A apoA-I mimetic peptide could potentially address this ongoing public health problem," said Drs. Stewart Levine and Alan Remaley, senior investigators in the Division of Intramural Research at NHLBI.

This project has been fully funded with federal funds from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, National Institutes of Health, Department of Health and Human Services, under Contract No. HHSN268201700022C.

ABOUT ASTHMA

Asthma affects over 24 million people living in the United States alone, including more than 6 million children. Approximately 20 percent of asthma patients are diagnosed with severe asthma. Symptoms include wheezing, breathlessness, chest tightness and coughing. As such, asthma leads 3 in 5 asthmatics to limit their physical activity and/or miss school and work. Currently, while there is no cure for asthma, it is possible to manage symptoms through the progress and development of new therapeutic strategies such as the 5A peptide program described here. According to the CDC, asthma-related treatment costs the nation $56 billion each year. Clearly, agents that directly address these symptoms, and more importantly the root causes, are critically needed.  

ABOUT LONGEVITY BIOTECH INC.

Longevity Biotech Inc. (LBT) is a preclinical-stage biopharmaceutical company pursuing numerous innovative programs based on the patented Hybridtide^® platform technology. LBT's candidates display unique attributes that are expected to provide either first-in-class or best-in-class product profiles in their respective indication.  

The Hybridtide^® technology can be applied to most peptides and is available for partnership and/or co-development efforts as appropriate. For more information, visit http://www.longevitybiotech.com.

ABOUT NATIONAL HEART, LUNG, and BLOOD INSTITUTE (NHLBI)

NHLBI, a part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), plans, conducts and supports research related to the causes, prevention, diagnosis and treatment of heart, blood vessel, lung and blood diseases; and sleep disorders. The Institute also administers national health education campaigns on women and heart disease, healthy weight for children and other topics. NHLBI press releases and other materials are available online at www.nhlbi.nih.gov.

CONTACT:

Longevity Biotech Inc.
3001 Market Street, Suite 140
Philadelphia, PA 19104
Tel: +1 215-689-1042
Email: pr@LongevityBiotech.com

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SOURCE Longevity Biotech Inc.