Sorrento Therapeutics Inc. said May 21 it has been awarded a two-year federal government grant worth $600,000 to support its development of new antibody drugs and vaccines for combating staph infections, including MRSA.
The advanced technology small business grant, awarded by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, has the potential of renewing after the two years are up for additional funding of $1 million a year for up to three years.
Sorrento has been studying certain signaling peptides known as AIPs thought to play a key role in controlling bacterial virulence. By sequestering the peptides, the company has demonstrated in early stage studies that it could control components of a bacterial communication process known as quorum sensing.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has identified the antibiotic-resistant superbug MRSA as a growing cause for concern. A study released last year by Duke University Medical Center found a 35-fold increase in risk of hospital readmission due to MRSA-related surgery infections.
— Heather Chambers