Trellis Bioscience, LLC receives two separate SBIR grants from NIAID
Trellis Bioscience, LLC announced today that it received two separate Advanced Technology Phase I SBIR (Small Business Innovative Research) grants from NIAID (National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease) for discovery of native human antibodies to two infectious agents: rabies virus, and Group A Streptococcus.
1. Rabies virus
The project's goal is discovery of a clinical candidate native human antibody to replace HRIG (human rabies immune globulin). Prompt treatment with HRIG is considered critical to preventing clinical sequelae to a rabid dog bite. Although the supply of HRIG is quite sufficient for the low incidence of rabies in the US and Europe, it is grossly inadequate for the high incidence in China, India, and Africa (millions of cases annually). Antibodies will be cloned from the blood (B lymphocytes) of vaccinated donors using Trellis' proprietary CellSpot technology. Our collaborator for this program is Dr. Zhen Fu at University of Georgia, a leading expert on rabies.
2. Group A Streptococcus (GAS)
The project's goal is discovery of a clinical candidate native human antibody to treat GAS infections. GAS causes a spectrum of diseases, from pharyngitis to rheumatic heart disease. The rate of development of life theatening rheumatic fever in individuals with untreated strep infection is relatively low, ~3%, but the incidence following a subsequent untreated infection is nearly 50%. The morbidity and mortality from GAS have been partially controlled in the developed world by the penicillins, but as more virulent, and more drug resistant, forms have arisen in recent years, the risk is increasing. In the developing world, GAS-caused diseases are both more frequent and more severe, as malnutrition and other diseases such as malaria suppress the protective immune response. Vaccines have proved problematic due to the rapid emergence of resistance. Overall, GAS causes ~500,000 deaths annually. Our collaborator for this project, Dr. Zehava Eichenbaum at Georgia State University, has identified an epitope on GAS that is highly conserved, as it serves a key function for the microbe. Antibodies will be cloned from the blood (B lymphocytes) of convalescent donors using Trellis' proprietary CellSpot technology.