Vascular BioSciences Receives 3rd Year of Fast-Track STTR Grant to Develop CAR Peptide as an Adjuvant for Pulmonary Hypertension (PH)

Grant awarded in partnership with Brigham and Women’s Hospital, and Harvard Medical School

GOLETA, August 12, 2019 — Vascular BioSciences (VBS) is excited to announce the award of the third year of their Fast-Track STTR grant to continue research and development of their novel pharmacological adjuvant, CARSKNKDC (CAR) peptide, to treat pulmonary hypertension (PH). CAR is a cyclic peptide that possesses the unique ability to specifically target areas where diseased tissue is found, selectively enhance the treatment efficacy of co-administered PH drugs, and minimize systemic side effects of PH treatments. This will be the third year that VBS has received the Fast-Track STTR funding from the U.S. National Heart, Lung, And Blood Institute of the National Institutes of Health.

In August, 2017, Vascular BioSciences was first awarded a Phase I/II STTR grant to undertake the study of CAR peptide. During this initial phase of the grant, CAR was shown to increase the efficacy of chronic prostanoid PH treatment while reducing undesired side effects in an animal model of severe PH. An assay was also developed to detect CAR concentrations in blood using a mass spectrometry platform for Phase II pharmacokinetic studies.

Then in October of 2018, VBS was awarded the first year Phase II funding. During this phase, CAR was successfully combined with ETRAs and other PH treatments. The company also initiated pharmacology and toxicology studies, and also explored the bioavailability of CAR via various potential routes of administration.

For the third year of this grant, VBS will be conducting PH combination therapy experiments. The company will perform studies on co-administration of CAR peptide with different combinations of PH therapies in order to more accurately emulate current PH treatments. In addition, VBS will continue IND-enabling toxicology and safety pharmacology studies to translate CAR peptide into clinical use.

CEO of Vascular BioSciences, David Mann, commented, “We are extremely pleased to be receiving the third year renewal of our grant. VBS is very appreciative of the outstanding support the NHLBI and NIH have provided us to bring this valuable treatment to the PH patient community.”

Research reported in this publication was supported by the National Heart, Lung, And Blood Institute of the National Institutes of Health under Award Number R42HL132742. This content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, and Harvard Medical School.

For more information about VBS, visit www.vascularbiosciences.com or contact dmann@vascularbiosciences.com

About Vascular BioSciences
Vascular BioSciences is a biopharmaceutical and medical device company with operations in California and North Carolina, founded to develop targeted solutions for serious and difficult-to-treat cardiovascular and inflammatory diseases in order to enhance and prolong human life.

We are developing CARSKNKDC (CAR) peptide for the targeted enhancement of therapies.

Contact Information
David Mann
Vascular Biosciences
72 Santa Felicia Dr.
Goleta, CA 93117
Phone: (858) 273-2744
Email: dmann@vascularbiosciences.com

Vascular Biosciences
72 Santa Felicia Dr Goleta CA 93117

David Mann
(858) 273-2744
dmann@vascularbiosciences.com

Vascular BioSciences is a biopharmaceutical and medical device company with operations in California and North Carolina, founded to develop targeted solutions for serious and difficult-to-treat cardiovascular and inflammatory diseases in order to enhance and prolong human life.

This release was published on openPR.