ALKERMES GETS 2 SBIR GRANTS

Alkermes Inc. of Cambridge, Mass., was awarded two grants bythe National Institutes of Health through the Small BusinessInnovation Research (SBIR) program to continue research intodelivery of pharmaceuticals across the blood-brain barrier.

One of the grants, for two years and $500,000, covers thecontinued testing the delivery of nerve growth factor to thebrain in advanced animal models. Nerve growth factor has beenproposed as a therapeutic for neurodegenative disorders suchas Alzheimer's disease, but its clinical potential is limiteddue to its inability to cross the blood-brain barriereffectively.

The other grant, for $50,000 and six months, covers thedevlopment of a monoclonal antibody-based system.

(c) 1997 American Health Consultants. All rights reserved.