SRI International Awarded Contract From National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke to Develop Chemical Agent Countermeasures.

MENLO PARK, Calif. -- SRI International, an independent nonprofit research and development organization, today announced that it was awarded a $9.5 million contract by the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) to develop medical countermeasures to prevent, diagnose, and treat the conditions caused by potential and existing chemical agents of terrorism. This project is part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) CounterACT program, a trans-NIH program to develop improved medical countermeasures for chemical threats that is led by NINDS.

SRI will focus on all aspects of preclinical development that can lead to potential therapeutic candidates, including synthetic and natural products and small molecule drugs. SRI will develop analytical methods, perform pharmacology studies, conduct safety evaluations, and formulate and manufacture products for further study. SRI will prepare therapeutic candidates to enter clinical assessment under an Investigational New Drug (IND) submission to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). SRI will evaluate candidate therapies identified in earlier stage projects supported by the CounterACT program.

"SRI welcomes the opportunity to provide the NINDS with all the support necessary to develop promising candidates from preclinical assessment through IND," said Carol Green, Ph.D., D.A.B.T., senior director of toxicology and metabolism in SRI's Biosciences Division, and the principal investigator for the new program. "Over the years, SRI has developed a strong understanding of the requirements for moving promising compounds through the preclinical stage and into clinical use. We are looking forward to applying our expertise to the urgent need for chemical agent countermeasures."

SRI has more than 50 years of experience in discovery and development of therapeutics and preclinical development. In addition to this NINDS contract for chemical agent countermeasures, SRI has many years of translational medicine experience with National Institute of Health (NIH) agencies, including the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), National Cancer Institute (NCI), National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Disease (NIDDK), and National Institute on Aging (NIA). With this win, and a recent $57 million award from the NIAID for the development of anti-infective therapeutics, SRI has enhanced its position as the largest preclinical development contractor to the NIH.

About SRI's Biosciences Division

SRI International's Biosciences Division is a unique organization of more than 200 people, with all of the resources necessary to take chemical and biological research programs from "idea to IND"[TM] - from initial discovery to investigational new drug applications to start human clinical trials. The Biosciences Division performs basic research on disease mechanisms like an academic institution; small molecule drug discovery and the development of biologics like a biotechnology or pharmaceutical company; and full-service preclinical contract research and development and pharmaceutical sciences like a CRO (contract research organization).

To date, SRI has developed nine drugs internally that have entered clinical trials, with several more currently undergoing preclinical evaluation. Marketed examples of these drugs include bexarotene and halofantrine. Additionally, working with government and industry partners, SRI has helped advance more than 100 drugs into clinical trials, and more than 30 drugs onto the market. Through collaborations with other divisions at SRI, Biosciences is also working at the interfaces of science to create technical platforms for the next generation of drug discovery and development in areas such as drug delivery, diagnostics and systems biology.

About SRI International

Silicon Valley-based SRI International (www.sri.com) is one of the world's leading independent research and technology development organizations. Founded as Stanford Research Institute in 1946, SRI has been meeting the strategic needs of clients for 60 years. The nonprofit research institute performs client-sponsored research and development for government agencies, commercial businesses, and private foundations. In addition to conducting contract R&D, SRI licenses its technologies, forms strategic partnerships, and creates spin-off companies.