InteliSpark client, Sonoval, wins a $2.68 million research grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) via the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program to develop novel cancer immunotherapies. Sonoval researchers will target cells that suppress anti-tumor immune responses and contribute to cancer progression, namely regulatory T cells, also called Tregs.
Sonoval has developed 2nd generation versions of the cancer therapeutic Ontak, an FDA-approved drug in treating lymphoma that was later taken off the market in 2011 due to manufacturing problems and patients developing side effects. Sonoval’s preliminary data show reduced side effects in patients, and their novel production method will address critical issues in manufacturing. These innovative immunotherapies have the potential to boost anti-tumor immune responses with patients suffering from melanoma, colon carcinoma, renal cell cancer, ovarian and breast cancers.
Federal funding for this fast-track project will allow researchers to test the safety and anti-tumor efficacy of their drugs in phase I and determine dosing levels and conduct animal studies in phase II. Sonoval was founded in 2018 by Dr. William Bishai, Co-Director of the Johns Hopkins Center for Tuberculosis Research, and by Dr. Jack Murphy, former researcher at Harvard and Boston University whose pioneering work led to the FDA’s approval of Ontak. Dr. Peter Suzdak, CEO of Sonoval, will lead this SBIR research project.