Wednesday, August 17, 2005

Ceragenix Pharmaceuticals Awarded $1.2M NIH Research Grant

Denver based Ceragenix Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: CGXP.OB), led in part by the research of Chief Scientific Officer Dr. Peter Elias, (UCSF), today was awarded a $1.2M NIH grant to examine the skins barrier function as it relates to eczema vaccinatum, a potentially fatal complication of smallpox vaccination in persons who have or have had eczema. In this heightened state of concern over potential bioterrorism agents this study may play an important role in the prospective treatment of certain persons in the case of a smallpox bioterror event.

Ceragenix is a development-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on dermatology and infectious disease. The patented Barrier Repair Technology, invented by Dr. Peter Elias and licensed from the University of California, is the platform for the development of two prescription topical creams – EpiCeram™ and NeoCeram™ -- that form human-identical skin barriers. Defects in the skin's barrier function play critical roles in the pathogenesis of skin diseases such as eczema, irritant contact dermatitis, and other common skin disorders. The Company's patented Cationic Steroid Antibiotic (CSA) technology provides the basis for its novel antimicrobial medical device coating that may be attached to various medical devices to provide potentially long duration antimicrobial activity. Ceragenix also plans to develop CSAs for use as topical and systemic antibiotic therapies in the treatment of skin infections (MRSA), burn wound infections, eye infections, and other indications.

No comments: