NCI issues grant for radio-immuno-guided surgery agent development

Navidea Biopharmaceuticals, a biopharmaceutical company focused on diagnostic radiopharmaceuticals, has received a Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant from the National Cancer Institute (NCI), National Institutes of Health, to fund the development of its radio-immuno-guided surgery (RIGS) monoclonal antibody targeting agent for use in detecting metastatic sites in colorectal cancer.

The SBIR grant has the potential for grant money up to a total of $1.5 million over three years if fully funded, according to Navidea. The first-year Phase I funding of $315,000, which has already been approved, is expected to enable the Dublin, Ohio-based company to complete preclinical bridging activities using a RIGS tumor-antigen-targeted monoclonal antibody and prepare a standardization clinical trial protocol. Second and third year (Phase II) funding of up to $1.2 million is contingent upon meeting certain Phase I success criteria, including Institutional Review Board approval of the clinical trial protocol.