Chrysalis BioTherapeutics, Inc., a privately held early-clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company, has received $1.5 million from the National Cancer Institute (NCI) to continue its development of Chrysalin to mitigate radiotherapy-induced damage to normal brain tissue. Radiotherapy is a primary tool for controlling tumor growth, yet damage to surrounding normal tissues limit the amount of radiation that can be used to kill tumours.

Moreover, side-effects of radiotherapy can have long lasting effects on patients especially in the brain where radiation can affect learning, memory and physical functions.

According to SEER Cancer Statics, nearly one in 161 people will be diagnosed with brain or nervous system cancer during their lifetime. Finding ways to mitigate damage from radiotherapy or restore neural function following radiotherapy may allow more effective cancer treatment to increase survival and improve quality-of-life for survivors.

This project is a collaboration between Chrysalis BioTherapeutics, Inc., Baylor College of Medicine (BCM), and the University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB). Pre-clinical results indicate that Chrysalin treatment restores radiation-damaged neural integrity and promotes neurogenesis in the hippocampus. "These effects of Chrysalin may be very important," said Dr Mostafa Waleed Gaber, associate professor at Baylor College of Medicine and co-director of the Small Animal Imaging Facility at Texas Children's Hospital, and added, "especially in children where successful radiotherapy treatment of brain tumors may have life-long effects on cognitive function."

Chrysalin is a naturally occurring regenerative peptide that is being developed by Chrysalis BioTherapeutics under world-wide license from UTMB to mitigate effects of nuclear radiation and radiotherapy. "If we can reduce side effects of radiotherapy in the brain and other tissues, we can use more effective radiotherapy protocols to kill tumors, save lives, and improve quality-of-life," said Dr Darrell Carney, CEO of Chrysalis BioTherapeutics, Inc.

Chrysalis is a privately held early-clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing a thrombin peptide drug platform to mitigate effects of radiation, improve tissue regeneration, and treat myocardial and cardiovascular disease.