Seattle, WA (PRWEB) March 29, 2010 -- Kineta, Inc. announced today receipt of a Phase 1 Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Awarded under the NIAID’s expanded Phase 1 program, the $600,000, two-year grant will help finance IND-enabling studies of ShK-186, Kineta’s first-in-class therapeutic for type 1 diabetes mellitus, multiple sclerosis and other autoimmune diseases. The award includes a subcontract to George Chandy, M.D., Ph.D. of the University of California at Irvine for mechanistic studies

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This is the drug that I have been studying since a month after being diagnosed with MS. It is the only drug that has made any sense to me. It is FINALLY going to human trials later this year! And the good news is I have a neuro appt next Monday, I have been hounding her to keep updated on this therapy.

It is the potassium channel blockade that makes blocks certain T cells from activating. It has been proven to work in MS along with RA, and a few other autoimmune diseases. And at last check it was available in a pill form. I will be emailing Dr Chandy again today to see if I may qualify for this study. Problem is, it is in California and I am in Virginia, so I may have to talk my neuro into getting on the band wagin with this one.

And even if I am not in on this study, I am SOOOOOOO excited that this has finally made it to human trials!!