INDIANAPOLIS–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Kovina Therapeutics Inc. announced receipt of a Fast-Track Small Business Technology Transfer grant from the National Cancer Institute/NIH. With successful achievement of its milestones, the award will transition to a Small Business Innovation Research award and will provide approximately $2,400,000 over three years.
“We are excited to receive NCI funding to support Kovina’s development of therapeutic treatments for Human Papillomavirus (HPV) related cancers,” said Kristin Sherman, CEO of Kovina Therapeutics. “HPV causes nearly all cervical and many oropharyngeal, anal, and genital cancers. Kovina is focused on developing expanded treatment options for patients afflicted with these malignancies.”
“We are pleased Kovina’s research proposal successfully competed in NCI’s rigorous merit-based review process,” said Dr. Elliot Androphy, CSO of Kovina Therapeutics. Kovina’s technology specifically targets a key HPV protein expressed in early, pre-malignant and cancerous pathologies. By inactivating this protein, Kovina’s compounds result in the selective death of HPV infected cells. “Our therapeutics are designed to stop HPV infections before cancer develops and to treat HPV related cancers after detection.”
About Kovina Therapeutics
Kovina Therapeutics is a biotechnology company developing first-in-class antiviral therapies to treat cancers and pre-malignant infections caused by Human Papillomavirus (HPV). Kovina has assembled a team of scientists and industry leaders with expertise in HPV and small molecule drug design to advance its pipeline of drug candidates. To learn more, visit www.Kovina.com.
About NCI SBIR
The SBIR/STTR program https://sbir.cancer.gov is one of the nation’s largest sources of financing for technology innovation. The National Cancer Institute’s SBIR Development Center provides funding, mentoring, and networking assistance to small businesses developing innovative cancer technologies, with the ultimate goal of bringing innovation from the lab to patients.
