In support of our NNR-focused activities, Targacept has received research grants or is collaborating with other grant recipients, including:
Targacept Awarded a Grant from The Michael J. Fox Foundation to Conduct Biomarker Research for Parkinson's Disease
In February 2010, Targacept announced a second grant award from the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research (MJFF), in the amount of $304,000. The grant is to fund a project entitled "Development of an alpha6*-selective Neuronal Nicotinic Receptor (NNR) Imaging Agent as a Parkinson's Disease Biomarker” and was awarded as part of MJFF’s Biomarkers 2009 grant initiative. The grant was one of 13 awarded, with MJFF committing a total of $2.8 million for the program.
Targacept Awarded Grant from Michael J. Fox Foundation to Conduct Research in the Treatment of Side Effects of Parkinson’s Disease Therapy
In July 2009, Targacept announced that it has been awarded a grant of over $600,000 from The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research (MJFF). The grant, which was awarded as part of MJFF’s Therapeutics Development Initiative for Spring 2009, is designed to fund preclinical research involving the use of compounds that modulate neuronal nicotinic receptors to address Levodopa-induced abnormal involuntary movements, known as dyskinesias. The terms of the grant provide for Targacept to receive the funds as the research is performed over an expected period of one year.
NCBC Industrial Fellowship Program
The North Carolina Biotechnology Center (NCBC) announced in August 2008 that Targacept is one of five companies selected to receive an award from its new Industrial Fellowship Program. The NCBC award will provide salary and Targacept will provide the benefits for two years for a Ph.D. scientist who wants to transition from academia to industry. The Industrial Fellows will also have access to programs in business, intellectual property, regulatory affairs and other areas to complement their industry training.
NIDA Grant for Research on NNR-Based Therapies for Smoking Cessation
Targacept is a named subcontractor on a grant awarded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse, part of the National Institutes of Health, to The California Institute of Technology to fund research on innovative NNR-based approaches to the development of therapies for smoking cessation. In addition to CalTech, Targacept is also collaborating with the University of Colorado at Boulder to conduct this research.
NIST ATP Grant for Innovative Drug Discovery Research
This grant was awarded to Targacept by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) through its Advanced Technology Program (ATP). The grant helped to fund the company’s development of sophisticated new computer simulation software designed to accurately predict biological and toxicological effects of drugs. This collaborative research project included the Department of Computer Science at Wake Forest University and with the Chemistry Department of Princeton University.
Federal Grant for Collaborative Research with WFU School of Medicine
The National Science Foundation awarded Targacept a Phase I grant through its Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR) program. The grant supported innovative drug discovery research to create computer software for predicting the biological activity of small molecules. This was a collaborative research project with the Department of Biomedical Engineering at Wake Forest University's School of Medicine.