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Parion Sciences Receives NIH Biodefense Grant to Study Novel Methods for Mitigating Radiation-Induced Lung Injury

Tuesday, December 16, 2008 General News
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DURHAM, N.C., Dec. 16 Parion Sciences, Inc., aprivately-held, development-stage pharmaceutical company dedicated to treatingdiseases resulting from the failure of the body's mucosal defenses, todayannounced that the National Institutes of Health (NIH) have awarded thecompany a biodefense grant in excess of $850,000.
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The purpose of the grant is to advance the development of safe andeffective medical treatments that mitigate pulmonary injury arising frominhalation of radioactive particles using Parion's Radiation and BioterrorismCountermeasures Platform. Parion will utilize the funding in a series ofstudies to evaluate the benefits of their lead compound, CF-552, combined withhypertonic saline, to increase removal of inhaled radioactive particles fromthe lungs. In previous clinical studies, treatment with CF-552 increasedclearance of non-hazardous, radio-labeled particles from the lungs of healthyvolunteers, as compared to vehicle alone. A portion of the research will beconducted by the Lovelace Respiratory Research Institute (LRRI), anot-for-profit research institute located in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
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"This award represents an important step to help us demonstrate thecapacity of our novel ENaC inhibitor technology to treat radiation andbio-terror threats," said Paul Boucher, Senior Director, Finance and Businessat Parion. "We look forward to demonstrating the utility of our compound toprovide a novel medical countermeasure for the prevention of radiation-inducedlung injury following a nuclear incident."

ENaC inhibitors are therapeutic agents that maintain and stimulatehydration on the body's mucosal surfaces, including those on the lung, mouth,nose, eye and gastrointestinal tract. Maintaining the hydration of mucosalairway surfaces addresses the fundamental problem that produces infections inboth acquired and genetic forms of chronic lung disease, such as chronicobstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and cystic fibrosis.

The studies will be supported by Grant Number RC1-AI-081297, funded by theNational Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), NationalInstitutes of Health (NIH) and the Biomedical Advanced Research andDevelopment Authority (BARDA). The award was made using authorities grantedto the NIH by the Project BioShield Act of 2004. The content of this pressrelease is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarilyrepresent the official views of the NIAID, BARDA, or the NIH.

About Parion Sciences

Based in Durham, NC, Parion Sciences is a privately-held,development-stage pharmaceutical company that is leveraging its proprietarysmall molecule chemistry and epithelial biology expertise to discover anddevelop an innovative pipeline of therapies for diseases resulting from thefailure of the body's mucosal defenses, including chronic obstructivepulmonary disorder (COPD), cystic fibrosis, bronchiactesis and Sjogren'ssyndrome. Parion's lead product candidate, CF-552, is currently in Phase IIclinical development for the treatment dry mouth associated with Sjogren'ssyndrome. The company is also collaborating with Gilead Sciences on thedevelopment of drug candidates for pulmonary diseases. For more information,please visit www.parion.com.

About Lovelace Respiratory Research Institute

Lovelace Respiratory Research Institute is a not-for-profit researchinstitution founded in 1947 by Dr. William Randolph Lovelace II. It is one ofthe nation's largest independent research institutions and the only onefocused solely on respiratory health. Scientists at LRRI are committed toeradicating respiratory diseases through research aimed at understanding theircauses and biological mechanisms, eliminating exposures to causal agents, anddeveloping more effective treatments. For more information see www.lrri.org.

SOURCE Parion Sciences
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