Avaxia Biologics has been awarded a Phase I Small Business Innovation Research grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research to support the development of a novel antibody therapeutic for oral mucositis.
Avaxia is developing a polyclonal antitumor necrosis factor (anti-TNF) antibody to be administered to the oral cavity of patients suffering from mucositis. The antibody is designed to reduce the pain and ulceration associated with this serious side effect of cancer treatment. The grant will fund key preclinical studies of the antibody in a well-established animal model of radiation-induced oral mucositis.
"We are delighted to have been awarded this grant," said Barbara Fox, Avaxia's founder and CEO, in a press release. "Our preliminary data indicate that an anti-TNF antibody, delivered topically to a damaged mucosal membrane, will limit the severity of the inflammatory response induced by ionizing radiation. The support of the NIH provides both the funding we need to advance the development of this much needed therapeutic, and critical scientific validation of our approach."
Avaxia is conducting the grant-funded research in collaboration with Biomodels, a Massachusetts-based preclinical drug research organization.
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