Washington Editor

Corixa Corp. received an $11.6 million grant from the National Institutes of Health for development of certain synthetic molecules that are believed to activate the immune system to protect against infections, especially those affecting the respiratory tract.

The five-year award focuses on a series of glycolipids that interact with Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) as agonists. Seattle-based Corixa discovered the compounds and expects to use the NIH funding to help develop them as adjuvants.

Steven Gillis, Corixa's chairman and CEO, told BioWorld Today that the funding is helpful from a financial standpoint, but "the peer-review validation of this science is also noteworthy. There are lots of people who try to get these funds, and obviously [the application] goes through an exhaustive review for scientific credibility and product potential and utility."

Gillis said the TLR4-targeted candidates are interesting because when they are used for prevention of infection, they do not appear to be disease or pathogen specific. "So, you could use a single compound to prevent an infection from literally any pathogen," he said.

Preclinical research in mice has shown that a TLR4 experimental nasal spray can suppress infection with the influenza virus, the respiratory syncytial virus and other bacterial organisms that infect the airways. Also in mice, Corixa scientists have shown that an intranasal dose can provide a window of protection that lasts about one week, the company said.

Corixa hopes to develop a vaccine that would provide continuous protection within 12 to 24 hours after the first intranasal dose is delivered. Vaccines generally take weeks or months to generate protection.

Gillis said one of the compounds, a prototype known as RC529, has been successfully tested as a vaccine adjuvant in a Phase III trial. But, he believes the company is about one year to 18 months away from further clinical investigation in humans.

Corixa's plan is to forge ahead with proof-of-principle studies before looking to find a commercialization partner.

Corixa's stock (NASDAQ:CRXA) rose 13 cents Monday to close at $6.32.