Plakous Therapeutics Awarded Phase II SBIR Grant from NIH to Continue Development of Therapies for Necrotizing Enterocolitis

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C., Aug. 10, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Plakous Therapeutics, Inc. received a notice of award for Phase II of its Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant providing $1.5 million from the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The grant is a follow-on to the Phase I award and will further assist Plakous' development of novel therapies for preventing the devastating and costly disease of premature babies, Necrotizing Enterocolitis (NEC). Seth Tomblyn, PhD, Chief Science Officer of Plakous Therapeutics, is the Principal Investigator on the project.

"This Phase II grant will build on the success of the Phase I grant from the NIH that allowed Plakous to complete critical development work to demonstrate the consistency and potency of our product in conjunction with North Carolina State University. This is a vital step in achieving regulatory clearance and allows Plakous to take the next steps toward preventing NEC, which has no approved treatment or diagnostic tests. Plakous is grateful for the continued support from the NIH," said Tomblyn.

"This award will fund our preclinical safety and efficacy studies for an Investigational New Drug (IND) filing for Protego-PD^™, an orally delivered acellular biotherapeutic developed by Plakous from post-delivery placentas. The grant will complement our currently open $4M seed round to complete the IND filing requirement," said Robert Boyce, Chief Executive Officer of Plakous.

NEC is a devastating disease with a 30% mortality rate. NEC affects premature infants with very low birthweight (born under 3 pounds) and is caused by inflammation and lack of development of the intestine. Managing NEC consumes 20% of NICU expenditures annually plus an estimated $4 billion for subsequent treatments. Plakous seeks to prevent NEC by accelerating intestinal maturation of premature infants with Protego-PD^™.

About Plakous Therapeutics, Inc.
Plakous Therapeutics is a biotherapeutic company dedicated to researching and developing placenta derived regenerative therapies to improve patient outcomes and reduce health care costs. For more information please visit the company's website at plakoustherapeutics.com.

Disclaimer:  Research reported in this publication was supported by the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health & Human Development of the National Institutes of Health under Award Number R44HD100243. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the NIH.

SOURCE Plakous Therapeutics, Inc.

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