Private cancer drug discovery and development company, Sci- Engi-Medco Solutions Inc. (SEMCO) has secured a Small Business Innovation Research Phase 1 contract from the National Cancer Institute entitled “Theranostics of Reduction of Cardiotoxicity Using Targeted Apoptosis Activation Technology.” SEMCO advances small molecule anti-cancer agent technology. NCI an I-Corps grant implied to advocate training to overcome barriers in the field of commercialization and innovation. This is the third consecutive year that EMCO has been funded by NIH, for a total greater than $600,000.
As far as the grant is concerned, SEMCO will work in close collaboration with researchers at Johns Hopkins University: Dr. Martin Pomper, MD, Ph.D., director, Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging and professor of Radiology and Radiological Science, and Dr. Kathleen Gabrielson, Ph.D., associate professor.
Dr. Raghu Pandurangi, MSc. Ed., Ph.D., founder and president of SEMCO said “We are honored to be awarded this contract as it provides Sci-Engi-Medco Solutions an opportunity to explore a novel approach to cancer treatment by focusing on acute anti-tumor effect while potentially minimizing the chronic cardiotoxicity side effects associated with concurrent chemotherapy, such as doxorubicin. We chose to target Triple Negative Breast cancer (TNBC), an indication with potential for orphan drug designation, due to the limited options for TNBC patients”.