Florida Atlantic University and spinout Cancer Health Solutions Resources are using a $184,000 commercialization-assistance grant from the state to conduct proof-of-concept human clinical trials for a drug against pre-cancerous skin lesions, company and university officials said this week.
The gap funding, which has been matched by CHS Resources for a total of $368,000, will also enable the company to continue developing a UV-protective skin lotion based on the same chemicals comprising the drug candidate.
The award was one of several made earlier this year as part of the State University Research Commercialization Assistance Grant program, or SURECAG, which was established last year as part of a broader $35 million bill passed by the Florida government to promote the commercialization of university research and encourage early-stage investment in emerging companies in the state (see
BTW, 6/4/2007).
“This is a company we’ve been working with for a couple of years now, so for us it is a big deal, because it’s a vote of confidence from the state,” Kurt Moore, assistant vice president for research and director of the FAU Office of Technology Transfer, told BTW this week. “Now we can pool some resources, and I think it makes it more attractive for CHS to bring other partners on board.”
