Current Collaborative Projects

(1) Targeting of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) Reservoir Cells

As of 2010, it is estimated that approximately 40 million people are infected worldwide with HIV. Since then this number continues to grow in the industrialized countries as well as developing world. It is known that HIV resides in reservoir cells in the "sanctuary" of intracellular endosomal compartments as well as extracellularly on the surface of Follicular Dendritic Cells and B Cells of the immune system, inaccessible to treatments or immune attack, and leading to a state of chronic infection, even in the absence of viremia or active viral replication.

In collaboration with the National Cancer Institute and the University of California San Francisco, we are sponsoring and developing a preclinical small animal HIV study to evaluate the potential elimination of HIV reservoirs with a plant-derived antiviral compound developed at the National Institutes of Health.

(2) Targeting of Immune Cells to treat Malignant Diseases Resistant to Chemotherapy (Malignant Lymphoma)

It is estimated that there are 61,000 new lymphoma cases annually in the USA alone, which projects to approximately 200,000 new cases annually in the industrialized nations (300M people vs. 1B people).

We are collaborating with academic institutions and the private biotechnology sector to develop an immune-modulating use of FDA-approved chemotherapeutic agents to target malignant cells and enable site-directed delivery of chemotherapy with lowered dosages and improved activity.

This preclinical study will be translated into a proof-of-concept study to treat pet dogs with resistant lymphoma in collaboration with the Comparative Oncology Program at the National Institutes of Health. A successful outcome will lead to an application to the FDA for an Orphan Drug study to treat humans with chemotherapy resistant disease.