Grants & Contracts

PRI investigators receive funding support from a wide range of sources, including the National Institutes of Health, the U.S. Department of Defense, and pharmaceutical industry companies such as Pfizer, Merck, and GlaxoSmithKline.

Below is a sampling of recently funded projects:

Federal – Ongoing Support

National Institutes of Health (Mousa/Elshourbagy, MPI) 09/01/2017-09/30/2019
Development of Oral Small Molecule PCSK9 Antagonist, 1R44HL137449-01

NanoPharmaceuticals LLC. (Mousa) 03/01/2017 – 06/30/2018
IND studies for Clinical Lead Candidate in GBM and Pancreatic Cancer

Pro-Al Medico (AGTT). (Mousa, PI) 10/01/2017 – 06/30/2018
Synthesis of L-T3 nanoformulations for Cardiac Resuscitation

National Institutes of Health (Mousa)
Development and Testing of Polyvalent Anthrax Toxin Inhibitors, 2U01A1056546-06
Major goal is to optimize in vivo efficacy of polyvalent anti-anthrax using nanoformulations with optimal stability and PK profiles.

National Institutes of Health (Linhardt, RPI)
Development of a Bioengineered Heparin from a Non-Animal Source, 1R01HL096972-01
This proposal has 4 specific aims. 1. Optimize the production of bioengineered heparin; 2. Confirm chemical equivalence of bioengineered heparin with USP heparin; 3. Confirm bioequivalence of bioengineered heparin with USP heparin; and 4. Scale-up and produce a kilogram of bioengineered heparin while maintaining chemical and bioequivalence.

National Institutes of Health (Johnson, ACPHS) 
A Mechanism for Suppression of TNF-alpha Induced Endothelial Dysfunction, 2R01HL059901-10A2
The goal of this project is to define the mechanisms involved in the suppression of TNF-alpha-mediated endothelial dysfunction.

National Institutes of Health (El-Shorbagy)
Novel Modulators of HDL Metabolism, 2R44HL097438-02A1
The major goal of this project is to identify inhibitors of the enzyme endothelial lipase as novel agents for raising HDL.

Federal – Recently Completed

National Institutes of Health (Abdel-Meguid)
Structure-Based Search for Novel Antihypercholestrolemic Agents, 2R44HL092712-02
The goal of this proposal was to identify inhibitors of the enzymatic activity of PCSK9 as novel drugs for LDL-cholesterol lowering.

National Institutes of Health –National Cancer Institute (Mousa)
Site Directed Chemotherapy for Breast Cancer Using Novel Angiogenesis Inhibitors, 1R21CA124931-01
The goal of this project was to develop a site-directed delivery of chemotherapy using novel angiogenesis inhibitors that target cell surface thyroid receptors and alpha v beta 3 integrin receptors on cancer cells and endothelial cells in the microenvironment of the tumor.

National Institutes of Health –National Cancer Institute (Mousa)
Enabling High Dose Regional Chemotherapy While Minimizing Systemic Toxicity, 1R41CA153973-01
The goal of this project was to develop a novel coating technology for optimal removal of chemotherapy along with optimal blood biocompatibility.

National Institutes of Health –National Cancer Institute (Mousa)
Experimental Models for Testing Novel Targets in Pancreatic Cancer Cell Invasion, 1R21CA124931-01
Major goals: 1. To utilize a novel in vitro human vessel segment model to study the mechanisms involved in the early stages of tumor metastasis. 2. To validate the findings from the in vitro model in a mouse model of pancreatic cancer.

Department of Defense (Mukhtar/Mousa)
Sustained Release Oral Nanoformulated Green Tea for Prostate Cancer, W81XWH-10-1-0245
The goal of this project was to develop an oral nanoformulation that would provide improved PK profiles and enhance suppression of prostate tumor progression.

Private

Representative list of private companies that have provided funding to PRI:

Major funders

  • GlaxoSmithKline
  • Leo Pharmaceuticals
  • Merck
  • Pfizer
  • Sanofi-Aventis

Other funders

  • Nanopharmaceuticals, LLC
  • Shifa Biomedical
  • Vascular Vision Pharmaceuticals