Albumin, the major protein in blood, plays a central role
in the adsorption, distribution,
metabolism and excretion (ADME)
of many drugs, including some of the worlds most important pharmaceuticals. |
Technology Overview
New Century utilizes a unique approach to drug development by studying the interaction of drugs with serum albumin, which has important consequences for the resulting safety and efficacy of many drugs. Albumin, the major protein in blood, plays a central role in the adsorption, distribution, metabolism and excretion (ADME) of many drugs, including some of the world's most important pharmaceuticals.
New Century's scientists were the first to both determine the atomic structure of human albumin and discover how the protein binds and transports drugs.
Since its inception, the Company expanded its early-stage drug research by undertaking a large-scale crystallography-based program designed with the long-term goal of determining the biophysical and biochemical mechanisms governing the binding of drugs and other ligands to human serum albumin
and other important plasma proteins. This important scientific achievement required the development
of methodologies and tools which enabled the Company to establish a number of novel and patented technology/therapeutic platforms, summarized in Table 1 below.
Table 1: Key Technology Platforms
| Salus™ |
Cadex™ based combinational therapy that modulates HSA pharmacokinetics to improve safety and efficacy |
| HSA Transgenic Mouse Model |
Globally patented HSA transgenic mouse model for a variety of albumin-based pharmaceutical research, design and development applications |
| CADEX™ |
HSA drug structure database and methodologies used to rationally design altered forms of existing and new anti-tumor agents with improved pharmacokinetics |
| Albagen™ |
Genetically engineered HSA (rHSA) and fragments, developed as part of the CADEX™, for a variety of therapeutic and non-therapeutic applications |
| Ferrigen™ |
Nanoparticle technology based on ferritin, a large self-assembling iron storage protein, which includes FerriVax™, a vaccine platform with applications in HIV and other major infectious diseases |
The above technologies and underlying innovative scientific accomplishments and commercialization opportunities are protected by numerous patents and a diligent and aggressive intellectual property patenting strategy covering 24 distinct U.S. or international patents or patent applications and a variety of licenses for important technologies relevant to New Century's operations. |
