Burlingame, CA – July 9, 2019 – SciBac, Inc., a developer of innovative live biotherapeutics, announced today the award of a $286,530 grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. The grant will fund work to advance the development of a novel live biotherapeutic, SCB-211, for the treatment of nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) lung infection associated with cystic fibrosis.
SCB-211 isa therapeutic microbe delivered directly to infected lungs. This microbe was evolved using proprietary SciBac technology toreduce mucus and eliminate NTM infections. SciBac aims to establish the safety and effectiveness of this pioneering treatment in collaboration with National Jewish Health, a leading expert in research and clinical care related to cystic fibrosis lung infections.
“SciBac is providing a whole new approach to treating chronic lung infections,” said Stacy Townsend, PhD, Director of Preclinical Development for SciBac. “By using improved bugs as drugs, we can target the disease with multiple modes of action while reducing antibiotic resistance and the negative side effects of traditional approaches.”
Cystic fibrosis is a genetic disease that causes thick mucus to buildup in the airways, leading to persistent lung infections and ultimately respiratory failure. NTM infections are among the most severe chronic infections associated with cystic fibrosis, and they are increasing. Currently available antibiotic therapy can last over a year with a high rate of failure and risk of severe side effects. Also, before patients can receive life-saving lung transplants, their NTM infection must be controlled. SCB-211addressesthis urgent need for an innovative and safe strategy to treat chronic lung infections, while reducing the spread of antibiotic resistance.
“National Jewish Health has unique and recognized expertise in NTM lung infections and in cystic fibrosis. We are always interested in innovative therapeutic approaches, like SciBac’s,” said Emmanuel Hilaire, PhD, Director of Technology Transfer at National Jewish Health.
Jeanette Mucha, CEO of SciBac, stated, “SciBac is extremely pleased to have been selected by the highly competitive NIH review process. It underscores the therapeutic and commercial potential of our innovative technology in support of better anti-infective treatments for patients with unmet needs.”
About SciBac
SciBac creates rEvolutionary live biotherapeutics that treat and prevent antibiotic resistant disease, while fortifying the microbiome. Using their proprietary platform technology, SciBac combines beneficial microbes to create enhanced strains with traits selected to target disease through multiple modes of action. SciBac has an expanding pipeline that includes biotherapeutics for chronic multidrug-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa, MRSA, and NTM lung infections in cystic fibrosis patients, as well as gastrointestinal infections caused by Clostridium difficile.
For more information, visit www.scibac.com.
About the NIH SBIR Program
The Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs, also known as America’s Seed Fund, are one of the largest sources of early-stage capital for technology commercialization in the United States. These programs allow U.S.-owned and operated small businesses to engage in federal research and development that has a strong potential for commercialization. In Fiscal Year 2019, NIH’s SBIR and STTR programs will invest more than $1 billion in health and life science companies that are creating innovative technologies that align with NIH’s mission to improve health and save lives. A key objective is to translate promising technologies to the private sector and enable lifesaving innovations to reach consumer markets.
Research reported in this publication was supported by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute of the National Institutes of Health under Award Number R43HL147700. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.
Media ContactCompany Name: SciBacContact Person: Maya KuttanEmail: Send EmailPhone: 3109364140Address:1828 El Camino Real Suite 704 City: BurlingameState: CaliforniaCountry: United StatesWebsite: www.scibac.com
