KALAMAZOO, Mich. and ST. LOUIS, Mo: NanoVir, Inc. has received an "Advanced Technology" small business grant from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the company announced today. The award for approximately $600,000 over two years will support efforts to create drugs to treat human papillomavirus (HPV). Typical NIH small business grants are for less than $100,000.

Dr. James Bashkin and Dr. Christopher Fisher, both renowned research scientists and both former employees of Pfizer Inc and its legacy companies, founded NanoVir in 2003. Fisher works from laboratory space at the Southwest Michigan Innovation Center at Western Michigan University's Business Technology and Research Park on the University's Parkview campus. Dr. Bashkin works in a laboratory at the University of Missouri in St. Louis, where he is a member of the Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry. "It's great to know that we are competitive with companies from biotech centers like San Diego and Boston," said Fisher. "Recognition from such an august organization as the NIH makes this award all the more sweet. It will give us the time and resources we need to effectively fight this cunning virus."

The technology grant will fund the development of molecular strategies for fighting the sole cause of cervical cancer: human papillomavirus. HPV is the most prevalent sexually transmitted virus. Although best known for its role as the cause of cervical cancer, HPV is also the infectious agent that causes genital and other warts. Cervical cancer is the second leading cause of cancer deaths among women worldwide. Genital warts exceed genital herpes as a major contributor to doctor's visits. Current treatments are primitive and include burning or treatment with toxic agents, Fisher said. "That results in a high rate of recurrence. Our goal is to identify and develop treatments to eradicate the virus completely as well as to find simple and painless methods for diagnosis."