Overview
Aphios Corporation (www.aphios.com) is developing enabling technology platforms to improve the discovery of natural therapeutics and manufacturing of potent bioactive molecules; nanotechnology delivery of siRNA and therapeutic proteins as well as hydrophobic anticancer drugs and other small molecules; and the pathogenic safety of biologics including human plasma, plasma products, recombinant therapeutics and monoclonal antibodies. SuperFluids (SFS), the key and common component of Aphios patented technology platforms, are supercritical, critical or near-critical fluids with or without cosolvents which, when compressed, exhibit enhanced thermodynamic properties of penetration, selection, solvation and expansion. Utilizing these enabling technology platforms, Aphios is developing enhanced therapeutics from a unique library of marine microorganisms and medicinal plants for heath maintenance as well as the prevention and treatment of certain cancers (prostate, breast and ovarian as well as nausea and emesis), infectious diseases (HIV, influenza and MRSA) and CNS disorders (Alzheimers Disease, pain, depression and addiction).
Aphios Corporation, based in Woburn, MA, was founded in 1993 as a Delaware C corporation. The Company initially focused on basic and applied research to develop its broad platform of enabling technologies, generate its patent portfolio and initiate the establishment of a rich pipeline of ethical and over-the-counter (OTC) products. . During this R&D phase, the Company technologies were critiqued, tested and validated through several collaborations with pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies as well as cooperative agreements with the Advanced Technology Program (ATP), National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), United States Department of Commerce, and peer-reviewed Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR) grants from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the National Science Foundation (NSF).
Aphios has 33 issued US and international patents and 22 patents pending as well as 2 patents and 3 patents pending with collaborators and several trademarks. The Company has had collaborations with Novartis, Nyon, Switzerland and Cambridge, MA; Bayer, Research Triangle Park, NC; Bristol-Myers Squibb, Wallingford, CT and Princeton, NJ; Eli Lilly, Indianapolis, IN; Baxter Healthcare, Los Angeles, CA and Norwood, MA; Infinity Pharmaceuticals, Cambridge, MA, Instituto BioMar, Leon, Spain; Quiral, Juiz de Fora, Brazil; the Gillette Company (now P&G), Boston, MA and other multinational and emerging biotechnology companies. We also supply specialty research chemicals, mostly rare, complex natural products, to distributors such as Sigma-Aldrich, St. Louis, MO; Biomol (now Enzo), Plymouth Meeting, PA; Tocris, Bristol, England; Chromadex, Irvine, CA; and Axxora, San Diego, CA. Recent highlights include:
– Completion of a successful Phase II/III multicenter, randomized, double-blind clinical trial of Zindol for chemotherapy-induced nausea and emesis
– Product APH-0703 in Phase I/II clinical trial for Alzheimers Disease; first patient dosed in June 2008
– Evaluation of Aphios SuperFluids CFN injection technique for the nanoencapsulation of siRNA to improve its delivery and therapeutic efficacy in collaboration with a top 5 multinational pharmaceutical company
– Recent SBIR and American Recovery Act Research Challenge grants from the National, Heart, Lung and Blood Institute to develop Aphios SuperFluids CFI pathogen inactivation technology for the inactivation and clearance of viruses and other pathogens from human plasma, plasma products, recombinant therapeutics, monoclonal antibodies and transgenics
– SBIR grants and contracts from National Cancer Institute (NCI) to develop: (1) nanotechnology formulations of nontoxic Vitamin D derivative for prostate cancer; (2) nanotech formulations for enhancing the oral bioavailability of anticancer drugs; and (3) nanosomal co-encapsulation of Tdp1 and Top1 inhibitors for use in combination cancer therapy for cancers
– Recent commercial business includes: (1) rapid isolation of potent anticancer compound from terrestrial biomass; (2) biologic product development and characterization; and (3) R&D and manufacturing of sonic hedgehog gene pathway anticancer compound.
– Recent intellectual property includes: (1) novel HIV/AIDS vaccine; (2) chemiluminescent antiviral therapeutics; (3) nanosomal encapsulation of hydrophobic anticancer and other drugs; and (4) nanotechnology drug delivery platform for protein therapeutics and vaccine antigens.
Currently, Aphios is expanding its manufacturing capacity and capabilities, and kicking-off its product and technology commercialization phases.