Cellphire, Inc., the global leader in long-term stabilization and storage of platelets, announced today that the Defense Advanced Research and Development Authority (DARPA) has awarded the company a seven-figure contract in conjunction with the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill for Research Aimed to Extend the Golden Hour for Life Saving Post Traumatic Treatment under the DARPA Biostasis Program.
The research, led by Dr. Thomas Boothby of the UNC team, focuses on leveraging proteins found in tardigrades (“water bears”) that are intrinsically disordered and adopt different conformations under environmental duress. The intrinsically disordered proteins (IDPs) enable the organisms to adopt a state of suspended animation prior to resuscitation or removal of the stress.
The UNC team is responsible for the cloning, expression, and characterization of the IDPs, while Cellphire will leverage its core blood platelet stabilization expertise to load the IDPs into blood cells and to assess the cellular and plasma protein function of the loaded blood cells.
“We are pleased to be collaborating with UNC. The DARPA award allows us to continue to develop revolutionary lyophilized cell preservation technology essential for the management of trauma-associated death and co-morbidities,” said Stephen Willard, CEO of Cellphire. “Our goals reflect our desire to maximize the chances that our servicemen and women will survive a traumatic event.”
About Cellphire
Cellphire, Inc. is a biotechnology company developing next-generation therapeutics. The company is applying its proprietary cell stabilization technology to all cell types, including platelets, to develop lifesaving products. Its lead product is Thrombosomes®, a freeze-dried hemostatic derived from human platelets. Cellphire’s technology has potential applications across a wide range of medical applications from trauma to wound care, imaging, targeted drug delivery, and regenerative medicine. For more information, visit www.cellphire.com.
Contacts:
Media
Sharon Burns
Director, Communications
sburns@cellphire.com
Investor Relations
Tom Dann
Chief Investment Officer
tdann@cellphire.com