NIAID (part of the NIH) awarded the contract to Micron to develop a dissolvable microarray medical countermeasure against radiation injury. The contract aims to enable rapid deployment of treatment for Acute Radiation Syndrome (ARS). This illness occurs after a person receives a high dose of radiation over a short period of time, like from a nuclear accident or radiological event.
The contract seeks to improve national preparedness and response capabilities.
Atlanta-based Micron develops a dissolvable microarray platform to deliver a thermostable drug delivery alternative. It offers self-administration along with administration from minimally trained personnel and caregivers, without injection. Disposal as sharps-free waste enables rapid deployment and administration in both civilian and military settings.
Micron’s dissolvable microarray “button” delivers medications painlessly when pressed. These medications dissolve in the uppermost layers of skin. The company reported successful clinical outcomes in self-administered seasonal influenza vaccines and other therapeutics. It also announced that it raised $33 million to support the technology last year.
The contract pairs the technology with Connext’s advanced TLR5 agonist (xempritolimod). They aim to deliver a thermostable countermeasure against radiation injury.
Steven Damon, CEO of Micron Biomedical, said:
“At a time when technological and AI advancements and an increasingly complex geopolitical landscape have heightened interest in national preparedness for radiation exposures, this contract represents an important recognition that protecting people from dangerous radiation requires medical countermeasures that can be deployed quickly and efficiently. We appreciate NIAID’s support for Micron Biomedical and the openness to a paradigm shift in how radiation exposure medicine might be delivered in order to transform our resilience during public health and national security emergencies.”
