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Proteon Therapeutics, LLC and The University of Kansas Medical Center Awarded Grant by National Institute of Health. June 22, 2004 Kansas City, MO - Proteon Therapeutics, LLC, a Kansas City-based biotechnology company, announced the award of a Phase I Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) grant by the National Institute of Health (NIH) and the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK). "It is very gratifying to receive a nod of approval from some our nation's leaders in kidney disease and vascular care. This is validation of our innovation and our decision to target a critical, but unmet therapeutic area - hemodialysis access," says Dr. F. Nicholas Franano, MD/MA, President and CEO of Proteon Therapeutics. "This grant will certainly accelerate our already aggressive goal of having this solution available to clinicians and patients by 2009. "Proteon's "first-in-class" lead drug candidate provides permanent, localized vasodilation of exposed vessels during surgery. The drug also dramatically reduces the formation of scar tissue that often obstructs blood vessels over time. Initially, the company seeks to have this pharmaceutical approved to prolong the useful life of hemodialysis access sites. These sites are created surgically to prepare an artery and vein for periodic external blood filtering in patients with end-stage renal disease. "Hemodialysis costs the nation over $12B per year and vascular access has long been the Achilles heel in the treatment of patients with renal failure," reports Randy Williams, CEO of the National Kidney Foundation of Kansas and Western Missouri. "Certainly, we are always interested in promising methods such as this for reducing the cost of hemodialysis care and improving the quality of life of individuals with end-stage renal disease." The grant, titled "Permanent Vasodilators for Improved Hemodialysis Access", was awarded in collaboration with the University of Kansas Medical Center. It will be used to produce a second-generation drug candidate that will be taken into clinical trials. Research will be conducted at the Kansas City Biotechnology Development Center (KCBDC) and at the University of Kansas in collaboration with Dr. Lisa Stehno-Bittel, Dr. Kirk Hance, and the KUMC Research Institute. "We are excited about this technology and are eager to provide our in-house expertise in genetics, molecular biology, and tissue biomechanics", states Dr. Thomas Noffsinger, Vice Chancellor for Research Administration at the University of Kansas Medical Center. "Jointly, Proteon and KU Med will be able to progress towards our respective goals to a degree not possible had we been working independently."
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