Caprion Wins $13 Million Biodefense Research Contract to Study How Bacteria Subverts the Immune System

MONTREAL -- Caprion Pharmaceuticals Inc. has been awarded a $13.1 million contract by the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), a part of the National Institutes of Health, to carry out biodefense research. This award is the result of a highly competitive and international selection process.

Under the five-year contract, Caprion will study molecular events that enable bacteria to subvert the immune system. This work aims to define novel pathways and proteins that will provide a basis for the development of new immunotherapy targets, vaccines, and diagnostic candidates. Caprion will employ its quantitative protein profiling technologies to analyze pathogen and host proteins involved during Brucella infection. Brucella is a potential bioterrorism agent and is responsible for considerable global economic losses due to disease in cattle.

"The opportunity to work in this important area of medical research and to execute the innovative studies proposed to the NIAID," is exciting for Caprion, said Lloyd Segal, CEO at Caprion. "This project will further the biodefense research goals of the NIAID and enable Caprion to further develop its portfolio of infectious disease clinical programs." Caprion recently acquired a clinical program for the prevention of Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome (HUS) resulting from E. coli infection.

This research stems from studies carried out by Caprion in partnership with Dr. Michel Desjardins, Universite de Montreal, Department of Pathology and Cellular Biology. Desjardins will participate as a collaborating investigator. Desjardins is a leader in the study of intracellular pathogens and has contributed significantly to the understanding of the front line host defense systems.

"We are confident that this research will lead to new therapeutic strategies for blocking pathogenic mechanisms and promoting host immune responses and that these strategies will be valuable for treating a range of infectious diseases that affect millions of people worldwide." said Desjardins.

Source: Caprion Pharmaceuticals Inc.