SDP Awarded Commercial Ready Plus Grant
26 March 2008 SDP has been awarded a $236,000 Commercial Ready Plus Grant SDP Technology Limited (ABN 92 108 221 041) has been awarded a Commercial Ready Plus Grant from the Department of Innovation, Industry, Science and Research to support its R&D program on the development of new anticancer agents based on small molecule inhibitors of the enzyme sphingosine kinase -1 (SK1).
The grant will provide funding of up to $236,000 over the 18 month period to 31 July 2009 during which the company anticipates developing an initial series of SK1 inhibitors for subsequent optimisation and drug development.
SK1 catalyses the formation of sphingosine-1-phosphate, an anti-apoptotic metabolite which promotes cell survival and proliferation, and induces new blood vessel formation (angiogenesis). The phosphorylated (activated) form of SK1 has been strongly linked to oncogenesis.
Grant funds, along with matching funds from SDP's own cash reserves, will be applied to research aimed at elucidating the crystal structures of SK1 in both its phosphorylated and dephosphorylated forms, and to the structure-based design of small molecule inhibitors with selectivity for the phosphorylated enzyme. |
Copyright(c) 2007 - 2008, SDP Technology Limited, ABN 92 106 221 041, Level 2, 405 Little Bourke Street, Melbourne, Victoria 3000, Australia