ROSALIND FRANKLIN UNIVERSITY COMPANY BLR BIO AWARDED $780,000 GRANT FROM THE CANADIAN INSTITUTES OF HEALTH RESEARCH
Summary
NORTH CHICAGO, Ill., Feb. 14, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science (RFU) announces that BLR Bio, an RFU early-stage biotech spinout, and research partner Dr. Andrew Leask with the University of Saskatchewan have been awarded a five-year, $780,000 (Canadian $1.04 million) Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) grant to study the use of BLR Bios lead fibrosis molecules in scleroderma, an autoimmune disease that affects an estimated 300,000 people in the United States.The grant will allow BLR Bio, headed by CEO Dr. Bruce Riser, a renowned expert in fibrotic diseases, to expand a long-term collaboration with the team headed by Dr. Leask, a world expert in fibrosis and scleroderma.Scleroderma is a chronic connective-tissue disorder primarily characterized by thickening and hardening of the skin and other tissues and organs. This novel therapy works through the ability to regulate the production and activity of pro-disease proteins naturally produced in the human body in response to a variety of insults. "Our work will be pivotal in the advancement of BLR 200 into future clinical trials," said Dr. Riser, who also serves as RFU adjunct professor of physiology and biophysics. "Its our goal to ultimately provide a much-needed new treatment for patients who suffer greatly with this disease."Dr. Ronald Kaplan, RFU executive vice president for research, hailed the CIHR award.