Quick-Med Technologies' Lead Molecule Ilomastat Selected for
Evaluation in Sulfur Mustard Gas Grant from NIH
Monday March 26, 2007 4:17 pm ET
GAINESVILLE, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Quick-Med Technologies, Inc. (OTCBB:
QMDT) ("Quick-Med Technologies" or the "Company") announced today that its
compound, Ilomastat, has been selected as the lead drug for development of
a post injury agent for sulfur mustard gas exposure in a recently funded
grant from the National Institutes of Health ("NIH"). Presently, there is
no known treatment for a vesicant chemical attack, such as sulfur mustard
gas.
The University of Florida ("UF") received about $2.6 million of an $18
million grant recently funded by the NIH to complete two parts of the
project, a joint effort between UF and the Lovelace Biomedical and
Environmental Research Institute ("Lovelace"). One UF project will be to
analyze data collected at Lovelace to find the drug that best blocks skin,
lung and eye damage from sulfur mustard exposure. The most promising drug
at this point is ilomastat, a molecule developed in a joint effort between
Quick-Med Technologies and UF. Used extensively in World War I, and
documented in 11 subsequent conflicts, most recently by Iraq against its
own citizens and against Iran, mustard gas rarely kills, but it can cause
serious blistering and damage to the skin, lungs and eyes.
"Sulfur mustard is evaluated by the CIA as the most likely chemical agent
to be used by terrorists," said Gregory Schultz, Ph.D., Vice President of
Clinical Research for Quick-Med Technologies, and a Director of the UF
Institute for Wound Research in the College of Medicine, and one of three
UF researchers involved in the project. "Sulfur mustard gas is simple and
inexpensive to synthesize and easy to weaponize."
Ilomastat was shown to block the effects of sulfur mustard exposure in
rabbit eyes and in human skin explants, according to past studies the
Company conducted with researchers at other Universities and government
laboratories. For this project, the researchers will put ilomastat and
other drugs through more rigorous testing. These tests will all be done in
a Lovelace lab equipped to safely study dangerous chemical warfare agents
like sulfur mustard gas. Quick-Med Technologies will provide ilomastat for
the studies, and the Company will have access to the results of the
experiments, which if carried to the final level of testing, will include
testing ilomastat in several animal models that will be conducted under
good laboratory procedure (GLP) standards. Since it is not possible
(unethical) to conduct clinical trials of treatment of sulfur mustard
injures in humans, the FDA will require safety and efficacy studies in two
relevant animal models conducted under GLP standards to approve a drug for
treatment of sulfur mustard injuries. The GLP tests conducted at Lovelace
could provide substantial support to Quick-Med Technologies' development
of ilomastat for sulfur mustard injuries, and for other types of civilian
eye injuries such as acid or base injuries to the cornea.
The Company has a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement ("CRADA")
with the United States Army Medical Research and Materiel Command, for the
development of a post-injury treatment to the eyes and skin for mustard
gas exposure. This CRADA was originally signed on November 15, 2000, and
it has been extended to June 30, 2011.
About Ilomastat
Ilomastat is an important compound that should be effective in treating
many types of injuries to eye and skin including chronic skin wounds. It
is a highly successful member of a class of compounds called Matrix
Metalloproteinase Inhibitors (MMPI) that modern research has shown to play
key roles in skin cell biology. The Company has an exclusive license on
all topical uses of Ilomastat.
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About Quick-Med Technologies, Inc.
Quick-Med Technologies is a life sciences company focused in developing
proprietary, broad-based technologies for consumer, industrial, and healthcare
use, as well as for advanced military and civilian medical applications. The
Company¹s two core products under development are (1) MultiStat™,
a family of advanced compounds shown to be effective in broad-based skin therapy
applications, and (2) NIMBUS™, a family of advanced polymers that can be
used in a wide range of applications from advanced wound care to wood preservatives.
Quick-Med Technologies is listed under the symbol "QMDT" on the OTC
Bulletin Board. For additional information, visit Quick-Med Technologies¹ website: www.quickmedtech.com or email: info@quickmed-technologies.com
For additional further information, please contact QMT:
David S. Lerner -- President
Phone : (561) 750-4202
Email: dlerner@quickmed-technologies.com
Natasha A. Sorobey -- Corporate & Investor Relations (Canada)
Phone: (403) 203-4748
Email: nsorobey@quickmed-technologies.com
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the foregoing, words such as "may", "will", "to",
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"intend", "could", "would", "estimate",
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and uncertainties, including launch and approval of the potential products described
herein and the Company¹s results of operations. The Company is also subject
to other risks as detailed from time-to-time in the Company¹s SEC filings. |