Since 2000, with funding from the U.S. Civilian Research and Development (CRDF), Cynthia Tuthill, Ph.D. of SciClone Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company in San Mateo, California, and Alexander Kolobov, Ph.D. of Verta, Ltd., a biotech company in St. Petersburg, Russia, have been leading a team of scientists in pioneering clinical research with SCV-07, an immune-stimulating compound the scientists anticipate will lead to the production of an oral treatment for drug-resistant tuberculosis.
Alexander Kolobov presented evidence at the conference that Russian hospital patients who participated in the SCV-07 clinical trials showed a marked decrease in the presence of tuberculosis in the lungs. The patients also showed a significant reduction in ailments symptomatic of tuberculosis, such as fever, chest pain, and dry coughing.
The announcement is viewed as a milestone by the CRDF as the project is a successful example of what the foundation promotes: mutually beneficial scientific collaboration between U.S. industry and scientists and engineers and researchers from the former Soviet Union.
"Verta researchers have been investigating immune-stimulating compounds as a possible treatment for tuberculosis and our Russian partners brought with them an expertise that allowed us to move testing into the clinical stage much faster than would have otherwise been possible," said Cynthia Tuthill, on the benefits of teaming with Verta.
The project is also significant for its contribution to the CRDF's work to redirect former Soviet defense researchers to civilian employ in support of U.S. nonproliferation efforts. "In funding U.S. and former Soviet collaborative research, the CRDF gives priority to proposals that include former Soviet defense scientists," explained Tom Owens, Senior Vice President of the CRDF. The SciClone Pharmaceuticals-Verta project employs 27 Russian former biodefense scientists.
CRDF funding for the project was provided through a $300,000 grant under the foundation's Next Steps to Market program. The grant covered the costs of tuberculosis directed pre-clinical and early clinical development through phase 2 of SCV-07 in Russia.
Permission for the clinical trials was granted by the Ministry of Health of Russia.
The U.S. Civilian Research and Development Foundation is a private, nonprofit organization authorized by the U.S. Congress and established by the National Science Foundation in 1995. The CRDF supports scientific and technical collaboration between the United States and the countries of the former Soviet Union through grants, technical resources, and training. The foundation also promotes the transition of weapons scientists to civilian work to help reduce the global spread of weapons of mass destruction. The CRDF is based in Arlington, Virginia with offices in Moscow and Kyiv.
SciClone Pharmaceuticals is a biopharmaceutical company based in San Mateo, California. SciClone's strategic goal is to become a principal worldwide provider of Immune System Enhancers (ISE) both as monotherapies and as critical components of combination drug therapies for infectious diseases and cancer. SciClone's lead product ZADAXIN is in phase 3 hepatitis C clinical trials in the U.S., a phase 3 hepatitis B clinical trial in Japan and a phase 2-3 cancer program in Europe.
Verta is a biotechnology company located in St. Petersburg, Russia that was formed in 1993 by a group of former biodefense scientists from the Highly Pure Biopreparations Institute of St. Petersburg, Russia, one of the leading Russian research institutes. Verta is recognized as a state-of-the-art facility for the development of new medical products for the diagnosis and treatment of infectious diseases.
Note to Press:
Jo Neuber, Senior Program Manager, and Tom Owens, Senior Vice President, of the CRDF; Alfred Rudolph, M.D., Chief Operating Officer, Cynthia Tuthill, Ph.D., Vice President of Scientific Affairs, and Eduardo Martins, M.D., Ph.D., Medical Director, of SciClone;and Alexander Kolobov, Ph.D. and Andrey Simbirtsev, M.D. of Verta are available to discuss the SciClone Pharmaceuticals-Verta project, as well as scientific collaboration with the former Soviet Union and nonproliferation.
Additional Contact Information:
SciClone Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
Angela Bitting
Tel: 650-571-5464;
E-mail: abitting@attbi.com