AUSTIN – NanoMedical Systems Inc. (NMS), an Austin-based company developing implantable, sustained-release, drug-delivery devices based on its nStrada™ nanofluidics platform, has received a fiscal year 2017 peer reviewed Medical Research Program Award to advance the development of a combination product for the treatment of opioid use disorder.
The grant was awarded through the congressionally directed medical research programs of the Department of Defense. It provides $2,993,398 over three years to support formulation development, device development and manufacturing, preclinical studies, and initial human factors assessments in conjunction with the DeBakey VA Medical Center in Houston.
“We are pleased to partner with the DOD and the DeBakey VA Medical Center in support of our efforts to create an innovative product for the long-term treatment of opioid use disorder,” Dr. Yash Sabharwal, president and CEO of NanoMedical Systems Inc., said in a news release. “The abuse of opioids is now recognized as a multi-billion-dollar national emergency and this funding will accelerate the development of a simple, but effective, solution for this significant patient and societal unmet need.”
NanoMedical Systems develops drug-delivery devices based on its proprietary nStrada™ nanofluidics platform for sustained release of chronic therapies. The company says these devices can be loaded with a variety of drugs including small molecules, peptides and proteins for subcutaneous implantation.
NanoMedical says its devices “rely on diffusion – passive or controlled – to achieve steady-state drug concentrations within a few days and then maintain constant release for the duration of the implant.”
The company says this is “a significant improvement over polymer-based implants and depots which suffer from an initial burst release and multiple weeks to achieve steady-state concentrations.”
Fort Worth-based NanOlogy is in clinical tests of cancer-fighting drugs that use nanoparticles injected into tumors and cysts to deliver long-term therapeutic treatment.
nanomedsys.com
– FWBP Staff