SAN DIEGO, May 21 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Sorrento
Therapeutics, Inc. (OTC Bulletin Board: SRNE) today announced that
it has received an Advanced Technology Small Business Technology
Transfer Research (STTR) grant from the National Institute of
Allergy and Infectious Diseases. The peer-reviewed grant was
awarded to support the Company's program to generate and develop
novel antibody therapeutics and vaccines to combat
Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus or "Staph")
infections, including methicillin-resistant S. aureus
(MRSA), by disrupting quorum sensing, a bacterial communication
process essential to virulence. The Phase I grant is for
$300,000 annually for two years, with
the possibility of Phase II funding of $1
million per year for up to 3 years.
"It is clear that the NIH is highly motivated to fund novel
approaches to tackling the serious healthcare burden of MRSA. We
believe our program to develop potential vaccines and antibody
therapeutics against MRSA holds great clinical promise because of
the high morbidity and mortality caused by this pathogen and the
limited treatment options available today," said Antonius Schuh,
Ph.D., Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Sorrento
Therapeutics.
Sorrento Therapeutics' MRSA program targets specific
auto-inducing peptides (AIPs) central to the quorum sensing system
of S. aureus, which induces bacterial virulence.
Masking these AIPs leads to a disruption of bacterial communication
("quorum quenching") and suppresses virulence. In recommending the
grant application for funding, expert panel reviewers noted that
targeting quorum sensing and the virulence factors of S.
aureus represented a paradigm shift, which could result in
fewer side effects than conventional drug therapies. They also
cited the high quality of the investigational team and the
impressive preliminary data supporting the program to date. In
January, the Company obtained an exclusive license to The
Scripps Research Institute's quorum
quenching technology, which lays the scientific foundation for this
program.
"We believe that the use of quorum sensing signal molecules as
targets for the development of vaccines and antibody therapeutics
using our proprietary technology platform is a novel and promising
approach to combat a serious public health issue. We look forward
to working with our colleagues at The Scripps
Research Institute and Montana State
University in developing novel antibody therapeutics and
vaccines against MRSA," said Charlie
Rodi, Ph.D., Vice President of Research and Development at
Sorrento Therapeutics and the Principal Investigator on the
grant.
For 2005, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
estimated that 94,000 serious invasive MRSA infections occurred in
the U.S. and more than 19,000 Americans died from these infections
- more than from HIV/AIDS. A recent (2009) study from Duke University Medical Center looking at MRSA
infections associated with surgery found a 35-fold increased risk
of hospital readmission, a 7-fold increased risk of death, and more
than $60,000 of additional charges
per patient compared to uninfected controls. IMS Health reported
that U.S. sales of antibiotics to treat MRSA exceeded $1 billion in 2007. Although a report from the
Government Accounting Office indicates that no federal agency
adequately monitors antibiotic resistance or evaluates its social
and financial costs, various estimates place the annual cost to the
healthcare system as high as $5
billion.
About the Sorrento Therapeutics MRSA Program
Sorrento Therapeutics has obtained an exclusive, worldwide
license from The Scripps Research
Institute (TSRI) to use this novel quorum sensing technology
to identify fully human antibodies for the neutralization of
Staph-specific signaling peptides that control bacterial virulence.
A research group at the Institute has shown that sequestering these
signaling peptides, which are integral components of a bacterial
communication process called quorum sensing, results in
significantly reduced virulence of MRSA in both cellular and animal
models. The Company believes the Staph signaling peptide analogs
described by TSRI represent a unique opportunity to develop both
vaccines and antibody-based immunotherapeutics to combat MRSA.
About Sorrento Therapeutics
Sorrento Therapeutics, Inc. is a development-stage
biopharmaceutical company focused on applying its proprietary
technology platform for the discovery and development of human
therapeutic antibodies for the treatment of a variety of disease
conditions, including cancer, inflammation, metabolic disease and
infectious disease. More information is available at
www.sorrentotherapeutics.com. Information on the Company's website
or any other website does not constitute a part of this press
release.
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements subject
to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to
differ materially from those projected. Forward-looking statements
include statements about Sorrento Therapeutics' MRSA program and
its prospects, the research and development opportunities presented
by the Company's license agreement with TSRI, Sorrento
Therapeutics' potential opportunity to receive funding for the
second year of the Phase I grant and a Phase II grant for the MRSA
program from the NIH, and the Company's potential development of
human vaccines and antibody therapeutics. Risks and uncertainties
include whether Sorrento Therapeutics will have sufficient
resources to develop vaccines and antibody therapeutics, whether
Sorrento Therapeutics will achieve its goals through the license
agreement, the term of the license, the Company's ability to
collaborate with TSRI and its researchers in the future, whether
the Company will seek or gain regulatory approval to market any
product candidates in the U.S. or internationally, whether the
Company will continue to develop and protect its intellectual
property and additional risks set forth in Sorrento Therapeutics'
filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. These
forward-looking statements represent Sorrento Therapeutics'
judgment as of the date of this release. The Company disclaims,
however, any intent or obligation to update these forward-looking
statements.
SOURCE Sorrento Therapeutics, Inc.