WASHINGTON, October 17 (RIA Novosti) – US biotech firm Cleveland BioLabs has won an approximately $4.6 million dollar contract from the Russian Ministry of Trade and Industry to fund research into a potential new cancer treatment, The Buffalo News has reported.
Cleveland BioLabs originally developed a drug, Entolimod, as a treatment for radiation sickness in case of nuclear accidents or terrorist attacks. The firm has been pursuing approval from US regulators for the drug’s use for these purposes, the paper said Wednesday.
But the company believes that Entolimod also shows potential as a treatment for certain types of cancer, and the Russian funding is intended specifically for research into the drug’s application as a treatment for colorectal cancer.
The three year contract also requires Cleveland BioLabs’ Russian subsidiary, Incuron LLC, to attract matching funds to the project, The Buffalo News said.
