The Kucera Pharmaceutical Company has been awarded a Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease (NIAID) and the National Institutes of Health to continue research and development on the company's novel anti-HIV compound, KPC-2.
"The Phase I SBIR grant will support the completion of key laboratory studies and the scale-up synthesis of KPC-2 for future animal studies," said Dr. Ronald Fleming, the Principal Investigator of the grant and Kucera's Chief Scientific Officer.
Dr. Louis Kucera, Professor of Microbiology and Immunology at Wake Forest University School of Medicine and co-investigator on the SBIR grant, said, "This prestigious award means we can accelerate our antiviral research with the lead compound, KPC-2, toward future use in the HIV/AIDS clinic." Both U.S. congressmen who represent the Winston-Salem area said Kucera's federal grant is significant.
"Strengthening an important economic force in our community, Kucera is a great example of an innovative business advancing medical research right here in our own (Piedmont Triad) Research Park," said Rep. Richard Burr (R-5th). Congressman Mel Watt (D-12th) added, "I am pleased that Kucera Pharmaceutical Company was awarded this important grant. It will help Kucera fund their important HIV research that is so essential to finding a cure for this disease."
Kucera CEO Russ H. Read said the SBIR grant also boosts the reputation of the Piedmont Triad region's emerging biotechnology cluster. "This announcement is another important step in the Triad's growth as a biotechnology center," Read said. "We are very proud of our scientists and the endeavors of the greater Kucera team to do our part in moving toward improved treatments for treatment against HIV and viral illnesses."