Cambridge Research Biochemicals to Support Preclinical Study on Treatment for Vision-Damaging Eye Disease

Middlesbrough, UK, 22nd May 2018 / Sciad Newswire / Under a new contract, Cambridge Research Biochemicals^® will support evaluation of a potential new treatment approach for Fuchs Dystrophy, a disease that typically occurs in middle age and may cause a gradual loss of vision.

Cambridge Research Biochemicals (CRB), under contract to Leidos Biomedical Research, Inc., will develop reagents to evaluate eFGF-1, a compound that can promote repair and regeneration of damaged tissues, such as those involved in Fuchs Dystrophy. 

Leidos Biomed is the prime contractor for the U.S. National Institutes of Health’s (NIH) National Cancer Institute-sponsored Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research. The research is supported through NIH’s National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences’ (NCATS) Therapeutics for Rare and Neglected Diseases (TRND) program. CRB is a United Kingdom-based custom peptide and antibody manufacturer with more than 38 years of industry expertise.

The TRND project will test the efficacy, toxicity, and other characteristics of one or more eFGF-1 drug candidates in preclinical studies. CRB will develop sensitive and specific reagents that can accurately measure eFGF-1 in laboratory samples. The contracted work includes both monoclonal and polyclonal antibody generation plus labelling of the final tool reagent with a fluorescent dye. 

“We are delighted to be awarded the contract and look forward to a long and prosperous relationship with these U.S.-based organisations,” said CRB Commercial Director Emily Humphrys. “It is an honour for a British Company to be awarded this contract, and we are keen to delight a new client once again with our skills and expertise.”

“NCATS is committed to finding novel therapies for rare and neglected diseases. We will apply our knowledge of biopharmaceutical product development to this novel ophthalmic therapy by developing an ultrasensitive and specific bioanalytical method for TTHX-1114, as well as immunogenicity assessment methods,” said Erik Wagner, who along with Xin Xu and Philip Sanderson are the scientific leads for the project at NCATS/TRND.

Fuchs Dystrophy is an inherited disorder that affects about 4 percent of people over age 50. It progresses slowly with varying effects. In some people, vision becomes so cloudy that treatment is warranted.

 

For further information, contact:

Cambridge Research Biochemicals
Emily Humphrys, Commercial Director
E: emily.humphrys@crbdiscovery.com 
T: +44 (0)1642 567182

Leidos Biomedical Research
Michelle Neville
E: michelle.neville@nih.gov
T: +01 301-846-6915

Sciad Communications, Media Relations
Deborah Cockerill / Juliette Craggs
E: juliette@sciad.com
T: +44 (0)20 7470 8801

Notes to Editors:

Cambridge Research Biochemicals^®
Cambridge Research Biochemicals^® (www.crbdiscovery.com) is a leading independent producer of custom-made peptide and antibody tools, supplying researchers in the pharmaceutical, life science and academic sectors worldwide. The primary applications of its products are as custom-made, laboratory scale reagents for proof of principal studies within early phase drug discovery and to support biomarker programmes in clinical studies. The company produces all flavours of peptides from simple to modified, stable and radio-labelled to dye labelled from milligrams to gram-scale to the highest levels of purity. In addition, CRB is a recognised expert at generating highly specific and targeted antibodies (both polyclonal and monoclonal). Fluorescent dye labelling is also a focus.
In 2016 the company launched its first catalogue business DISCOVERY^® since 1994.

DISCOVERY Antibodies^®, DISCOVERY Peptides^®, Cambridge Research Biochemicals^® are registered trademarks of Cambridge Research Biochemicals Limited. 

CRB Website: www.crbdiscovery.com
Discovery Peptides Website: www.discoverypeptides.com
Discovery Antibodies Website: www.discoveryantibodies.com

Leidos Biomedical Inc.   
Leidos is a FORTUNE 500^® science and technology solutions and services leader working to solve the world's toughest challenges in the defense, intelligence, homeland security, civil, and health markets. The company has 32,000 employees who support vital missions for government and commercial customers. They are based in Reston, Virginia in the United States of America.
Leidos Website: www.leidos.com

National Institute of Health
The National Institutes of Health (NIH), a part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, is the nation’s medical research agency — making important discoveries that improve health and save lives. The NIH is made up of 27 different components called Institutes and Centers, each possessing its own specific research agenda. The Headquarters is located in Bethesda, Maryland, USA with some of the research being performed on campus in state-of-the-art laboratory facilities, with over 80% of research activities being conducted by scientists working in every state and around the world.

Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research
The Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research is a Federally Funded Research and Development Center (FFRDC) sponsored by the National Cancer Institute (NCI) and operated by Leidos Biomedical Research, Inc. The lab is working at the forefront of basic, translational, and clinical science with a focus on cancer, AIDS, and infectious disease.