Seattle, Washington - Virtici LLC announced today that the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) has awarded a Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) award to advance VTC-886, a first-in-class small molecule for the prevention of P. gingivalis infection.
Dr. Neil Fanger, CEO and Founder of Virtici, stated, “We are grateful for the continued support and enthusiasm expressed by NIDCR. VTC-886 represents a transformative small molecule inhibitor of P. gingivalis infection that we believe has the potential to be formulated into a safe, effective and ease-to-use product for people suffering from periodontitis. We look forward to advancing VTC-886 through pre-clinical development and into the clinic for the benefit of patients.”
Almost 50% of adults over the age of thirty worldwide have periodontal disease, making it one of the most common infections in humans, with 10% suffering from severe disease. Periodontitis is caused by the growth of pathogenic bacteria on the tooth surface below the gumline, resulting in chronic inflammation, bleeding, bone loss, and eventual tooth loss. Oral infection by P. gingivalis is considered a causative agent in the development of periodontitis and may also contribute a number of other serious diseases including Alzheimer’s’ Disease, cardiovascular disease and, diabetes. VTC-886 specifically blocks adherence of P. gingivalis to the oral surface making it a unique and innovative approach to prevent infection.
Our goal is to develop VTC-886 as a safe and effective oral rinse for the treatment of periodontitis. This oral rinse will be positioned as a strong potential option for improving the health of more than 35 million people in the United States alone.
About Virtici LLC
Virtici is a life science innovation and product development company headquartered in Seattle, Washington. Virtici is built on the foundation that life changing products are developed through innovation, hard work, and determination. Guided by its mission to improve quality of life and save lives, Virtici works with pioneering investigators and their respective research institutions to commercialize innovations with the greatest potential, providing the scientific, business and financial expertise to accelerate product development. Since its inception, Virtici has continued to expand its internal therapeutics pipeline and has also helped establish and grow a network of other biotechnology companies.
For more information about Virtici, please visit www.virtici.com.