Shasun Pharmaceuticals has entered into the rapidly growing field of nanotechnology by entering into collaboration with Nanoparticle Biochem, Inc. (NBI). As part of the collaboration, Shasun and NBI would enter into a 50:50 JV to be known as Shasun NBI LLC which would proceed with development of NBI's lead molecule, NBI-29 for prostate cancer toward FDA approval.

NBI is 5 per cent owned by University of Missouri, Colombia which is a pioneer in the exciting field of nanomedicine and boasts of a strong track record with respect to developing and subsequent out licensing of cancer therapy agents. Founders of NBI, Dr Kattesh Katti and Dr Raghuraman Kannan, the principal architects behind University of Missouri's prominence in nanotechnology and nanomedicine, would be driving the development of NBI-29 through the JV. It may be noted that University of Missouri, Colombia is one of the only six labs in the USA that are part of the NIH driven 'Alliance for Nanotechnology in Cancer'.

NBI-29 is a radioactive Gold Based Nanoparticle that is administered as a Brachytherapeutic agent and has shown excellent tumouricidal properties in early studies against prostate cancer. Prostate cancer (PCA) is the second leading cause of new cancer cases in men worldwide and the sixth leading cause of cancer death in men. The PCA market was estimated to be worth US$5.2 billion in 2008 and is projected to grow to USD 7.7 billion by 2015. NBI-29, given its mechanism of action, is also expected to have a strong therapeutic effect upon other types of cancer such as breast cancer, lung cancer, oral cancer, etc., and thereby represents a platform technology with significant commercial potential beyond prostate cancer.

Commenting on the collaboration, Vimal Kumar Shankarlal, managing director of Shasun said 'The tie-up with NBI and thereby with the University of Missouri at Colombia puts us in a dominant position in the vast expanding and exciting area of nanomedicine. We would have the best minds in nanomedicine working for us and are confident of creating significant Intellectual Property with wide ranging applications in future'

Commenting on the collaboration, Henry White, CEO of NBI said 'NBI is excited by the opportunity to join efforts with Shasun Pharmaceuticals in the development of a new nanoparticle-based pharmaceutical drug for use as a prostate cancer therapy agent.'