FARMINGTON, Conn. (PRWEB)
February 23, 2022
Bactana Corp. today announced the company has been awarded a National Science Foundation (NSF) Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I grant that will enable expanded research and development efforts for its leading therapeutic candidate, FPZ-100.
FPZ-100 is a patent pending technology comprised of peptides and metabolites derived from F. prausnitzii, an important commensal bacteria present in human and animal microbiomes. Since 2017, Bactana’s research efforts have focused on developing oral feed additives to improve feed efficiency and reduce antibiotic usage during livestock production. However, recent trials have shown that oral dosing of FPZ-100 significantly reduces diabetic and prediabetic blood markers in mice without causing undesirable hypoglycemic side effects.
“NSF is proud to support the technology of the future by thinking beyond incremental developments and funding the most creative, impactful ideas across all markets and areas of science and engineering,” said Andrea Belz, Division Director of the Division of Industrial Innovation and Partnerships at NSF. “With the support of our research funds, any deep technology startup or small business can guide basic science into meaningful solutions that address tremendous needs.”
Once a small business is awarded a Phase I SBIR/STTR grant (up to $275,000), it becomes eligible to apply for a Phase II (up to $1,000,000).
According to the American Diabetes Association, diabetes is one of the world’s greatest health concerns, with an estimated 40% of American adults having either prediabetes or diabetes. It is estimated that 85% of those afflicted with prediabetes are not yet aware of their condition.
“We are grateful to the NSF for acknowledging our discoveries and granting this award which will allow us to expedite our R&D efforts and support Bactana in its upcoming financing efforts,” said John Kallassy, Bactana’s CEO. “We anticipate our initial commercial success to be for companion animals where product development timelines and costs are much lower than those for new human products. We also plan to expand into other markets through collaboration with human pharma upon completion of the 2022 objectives described in this grant.”
About Bactana:
Bactana is a global development stage company at the forefront of identifying and isolating molecules expressed from commensal anaerobic microbes found in an animal’s microbiome. Bactana is developing therapies for pets that treat metabolic conditions and other diseases while also developing sustainable products to reduce the use of antibiotics and natural resources during livestock production.
For more information, please visit http://www.bactana.com or contact info@bactana.com (203-599-0133, ext. 11)
About the National Science Foundation’s Small Business Programs:
America’s Seed Fund powered by NSF awards $200 million annually to startups and small businesses, transforming scientific discovery into products and services with commercial and societal impact. Startups working across almost all areas of science and technology can receive up to $2 million to support research and development (R&D), helping de-risk technology for commercial success. America’s Seed Fund is congressionally mandated through the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program. The NSF is an independent federal agency with a budget of about $8.5 billion that supports fundamental research and education across all fields of science and engineering. To learn more about America’s Seed Fund powered by NSF, visit: https://seedfund.nsf.gov/
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