CPRIT awards $82.3 million in grants

The Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas awarded three-year grants totaling up to about $45 million to cancer companies Mirna Therapeutics Inc. (Austin, Texas) and Aeglea BioTherapeutics Holdings LLC (Austin, Texas). Mirna will receive up to $25.1 million to develop compounds that mimic naturally occurring tumor suppressor microRNAs. The company's MRX34 -- a synthetic mimic of miR-34, a naturally occurring tumor suppressor, formulated with lipid-based nanoparticles -- is in Phase I testing for primary liver cancer. Aeglea will receive up to $19.8 million to develop AERase, an engineered human arginase 1 (ARG1) in preclinical testing for solid tumors (see BioCentury, April 28). ...