NuvOx Receives SPAN Grant to Conduct Late-stage Preclinical Studies of Putative Neuroprotectants Combined with Reperfusion
Tucson, AZ, April 24, 2023 –(PR.com)– NuvOx Pharma (NuvOx), a clinical stage biotechnology company developing a first-in-class therapeutic to treat life-threatening diseases where hypoxia plays a role, announced that it has received a $900,000 new grant from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), to test their intervention Dodecafluoropentane emulsion (DDFPe), NanO2™ as Cerebroprotectant in Ischemic Stroke in the Stroke Pre-Clinical Assessment Network (SPAN).
SPAN was established to address a significant need in the scientific investigation of stroke treatment. The recent successful development of thrombectomy for acute ischemic stroke generated considerable enthusiasm for testing treatment candidates in combination with thrombectomy and/or thrombolysis. Thus, SPAN is intended to screen and select highly promising treatment candidates for possible further study in human clinical trials.
Dr. Evan Unger, CEO and co-founder of NuvOx said, “We are thrilled to be a recipient of this award and privileged to be selected, along a few other highly promising treatment candidates. This further cemented our leading position in the adjunct treatment in combination with thrombectomy in stroke treatment. We hope this will lead into additional non-dilutive funding and expedite our progress to the next stage of Stroke trials.”
Dr. Jenny Johnson, CSO and co-founder of NuvOx said, “SPAN utilizes a novel, adaptive, secured system for parallel testing of promising interventions. Our product is designed exactly aligned with its goals: to extend the treatment time window and/or improve outcome compared to reperfusion when combined with thrombolysis, thrombectomy or both. We are excited to work with SPAN.”
The award is funded by NINDS of the NIH under grant number U44NS130589.
About NuvOx
NuvOx is a privately held Phase IIb ready company developing a novel oxygen therapeutic where hypoxia plays a role. Hypoxia, or low oxygen, is responsible for resistance to cancer treatment, brain damage in stroke, and the death of COVID-19 patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS).
The Company’s lead drug – NanO2TM represents a disruptive platform technology addressing multiple highly unmet needs, with positive clinical efficacy demonstrated in two completed Phase Ib/IIa studies: in glioblastoma multiforme as a radiosensitizer and in stroke as a neuroprotectant. It was shown to be the most effective oxygen therapeutic from the literature survey from 74 clinical-stage compounds. It has safety and efficacy data in 7+ indications in various clinical stages, including Orphan Drug Designation for both glioblastoma multiforme and sickle cell disease.
The product was derived from Dr. Evan Unger’s pioneering work in microbubbles, which was commercialized as the #1 selling contract agent. As such, it has safety data in 2,000+ subjects. The product is designed to be synergistic, rather than competitive with standard of care.
Company Contact:
NuvOx Pharma: Dr. Evan Unger, CEO Rong Wang, COO/CFO
Investor Contact: Rong Wang T: 520.624.6688
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