Dr. Francis Johnson in the News! - LI scientists land $1.3M grant to treat gum disease

Stony Brook University’s School of Dental Medicine and Traverse Bioscience, a bioscience company also in Stony Brook, received a $1.3 million grant to assist in its effort to treat gum disease.

Awarded by the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR) of the National Institutes of Health, the grant is intended for the evaluation of the pre-clinical safety and effectiveness of TRB-N0224, Traverse Biosciences’ drug candidate for treating periodontal disease in both humans and animals.

The research will be led by Lorne Golub, DMD, in the department of oral biology and pathology, and Ying Gu, PhD, DDS, in the department of general dentistry at the School of Dental Medicine. They will serve as co-principle investigators of the award, in close collaboration with Traverse Biosciences.

Periodontal disease is prevalent in nearly 64.7 million adults, ages 30 and older in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control. Periodontal disease has been associated with other chronic conditions, including heart disease, diabetes and various cancers. It also affects dogs, cats and horses.

In 2015, Traverse Biosciences signed an exclusive, worldwide license agreement with the Research Foundation for the State University of New York to develop a drug to treat canine periodontal disease. The drug candidate that emerged will be evaluated under the NIDCR grant and is derived from lab discoveries by Golub along with Dr. Francis Johnson, president of Stony Brook-based Chem-Master International, and professor of chemistry and pharmacological sciences at Stony Brook. They developed a library of drug candidates that are designed to treat inflammation.

Golub, a Traverse Biosciences cofounder, said he was “very pleased” to “attract the financial resources necessary to advance this highly collaborative research and development program.”

The drug candidate “represents an innovative therapeutic approach which focuses on resolving the chronic inflammation and tissue damage associated with periodontal disease that ultimately leads to bone and tooth loss,” Johnson said, in a statement.

“Our experienced research team is very pleased to partner with Traverse Biosciences to commercialize this unique technology with broad applications in veterinary medicine and human health,” said Johnson, who is also a co-founder of Traverse Biosciences.

http://libn.com/2016/08/18/li-scientists-land-1-3m-grant-to-treat-gum-d…

http://www.stonybrook.edu/happenings/research/school-of-dental-medicine…