Altis Biosystems Awards New Research Funding To Armed Forces Radiobiology Research Institute

Durham, NC – Altis Biosystems, Inc., developer of RepliGut®, a technology platform that produces a layer of human intestinal stem or differentiated cells of either the small intestine or colon, announced today Lynn Cary, PhD, and Boris Sabirhanov, PhD, scientists with the Armed Forces Radiobiology Research Institute/Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (AFRRI) are the recipients of the company’s New Research Funding Initiative.

“Altis is excited to partner with Dr. Cary, Dr. Sabirhanov, and the Armed Forces Radiobiology Research Institute to explore our RepliGut® Planar platform as a novel model of acute radiation syndrome (ARS). Nuclear and radiological emergencies on a large scale could be devastating, and there are no FDA approved medical countermeasures for intestinal ARS, which is severe and life threatening,” stated Bill Thelin, Altis Chief Scientific Officer. “A significant limitation in the field is the lack of experimental models to characterize the pathophysiology of ARS and evaluate novel therapeutic agents. Our collaborative effort will capitalize on the ability of RepliGut® Planar to reprise complex human biology in a high-throughput platform, with the goal of transforming drug discovery for ARS,” continued Thelin.

“Exposure to radiation, due to accident, nuclear incident, or as a therapeutic, can result in severe gastro-intestinal (GI) damage. We are excited to examine the pathophysiology of radiation induced GI injury using the RepliGut® system. We also hope to use the RepliGut® model to screen promising medical countermeasures against GI Acute Radiation Syndrome, with the goal of promoting a countermeasure toward FDA approval,” stated Dr. Cary and Dr. Sabirhanov, in a recently released joint statement.

About Altis Biosystems
Altis Biosystems was founded to address the biopharmaceutical industry's intense need for more accurate drug screening methods using in vitro platforms, which can more closely replicate human biology. Altis developed its intestinal platform to be the next generation for in vitro testing during drug development, allowing scientists to develop safer and more effective drugs using normal human intestinal tissue, and reducing the time and cost of drug discovery.

About Armed Forces Radiobiology Research Institute

The AFRRI mission is to preserve and protect the health and performance of U.S. military personnel through research and training that advance understanding of the effects of ionizing radiation. This mission includes education and training to maintain a pool of qualified radiation biologists; and basic and applied research to identify and perform early development of measures to prevent, assess and treat radiation injury. AFRRI research thrusts include medical countermeasures, diagnosis of injury (biodosimetry), low dose/low dose rate/late effects, internalized radionuclides, and combined injury.

AFRRI Disclosure

The views expressed are those of the authors, and do not necessarily reflect the official policy of the Armed Forces Radiobiology Research Institute (AFRRI), the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (USUHS) the Henry M. Jackson Foundation, or the U.S. Department of Defens