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October 30, 2008 – Smart Insulin: An experimental drug for diabetes dispenses insulin in response to glucose levels
Technology published by MIT Review
By Jennifer Chu
Maintaining tight control over blood-sugar levels is a daily challenge for people with diabetes: it requires constant monitoring and multiple insulin injections each day. Now the biotech company SmartCells, based in Beverly, MA, is developing a drug that may do most of the heavy lifting in controlling diabetes. The injectable drug, called SmartInsulin, senses high glucose levels and automatically dispenses insulin on demand. As glucose levels drop off, the drug stabilizes, trapping insulin until the next glucose spike. Such a drug may cut down the number of insulin injections required to once a day. [read more]
October 22, 2008 - SmartCells and JDRF Announce $1M Partnership Funding
SmartCells, Inc. and the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) today announced a partnership to advance SmartCells' SmartInsulinT for the treatment of type 1 diabetes. SmartInsulin will be a once-a-day, glucose-regulated subcutaneous insulin formulation for treating diabetes. SmartInsulin is injectable, like today's currently available insulins, but designed to maintain continuous, tight control of blood glucose levels while reducing the risk of hypoglycemia - like the pancreas does automatically in the absence of diabetes. As part of the agreement, JDRF will provide $1 million in first-year funding to support preclinical safety and efficacy testing. The partnership is structured to support milestone-based funding through proof-of-concept human clinical trials. [read more]
September 15, 2008 – SmartCells, Inc. Awarded Phase II SBIR by NIH/NIDDK
SmartCells, Inc. received notice that it has been awarded $1,546,698 in first year funding for a Phase II SBIR grant from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The grant was awarded to support manufacturing development of the company’s glucose-regulated insulin formulations. The second year of the Phase II grant allocates $850,859 in additional funding.
June 24, 2008 – Robert J. Manning joins SmartCells Board
On June 23, 2008 Robert J. Manning was elected to a new seat on the SmartCells Board of Directors. SmartCells' Chairman and CEO, Todd Zion, Ph.D. said, “We are very pleased to have Rob join the Board. He brings us a wealth of experience gained from more than 25 years in corporate finance and building market leading businesses at Citibank and Citigroup. Rob has worked with us over the past two years as the representitive of the Cherrystone Angels investment group and his expertise will be particularly useful now as we expand our business and develop wider commercial relationships.
April 1, 2008 – SmartCells, Inc. Receives SBIR funds from NIH/NIDDK
SmartCells, Inc. received notice that it has been awarded $335,073 in second-year funding for a multi-year Phase 1 SBIR grant from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The grant was awarded to support development and testing of second generation glucose binding molecules for use in SmartCells' glucose-regulated insulin formulations.
March 17, 2008 – SmartCells, Inc. Awarded Second “Fast-Track” SBIR by NIH/NIDDK
SmartCells, Inc. received notice that it has been awarded $1,116,164 in Phase I funding as part of its second “Fast-Track” SBIR grant from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The grant was awarded to support pre-clinical safety testing of SmartInsulin, the company’s glucose-regulated insulin formulation. After successful completion of the Phase I work, $1,925,193 in Phase II funding will be available to support IND-enabling safety pharmacology and ADME/Tox studies.