Neutralizing Peptide Vectors Against Ricin Toxin

Using a new, proprietary, core technology, Receptor Laboratories, Inc. (RLI) proposes to identify peptides which could be used directly as injectable drugs to thwart the toxic effects of ricin poisoning and consequently eliminate it as a military threat. This technology has the potential to synthesize a significant fraction of the total possible 2-10 residue peptides (greater thatn 10 to the thirteen power structures) and concurrently select and amplify peptides having high affinity and specificity for any given macromolecule or macromolecular complex (referred to as peptide vectors). In many regards, these peptide vectors are like neutralizing antibodies in their specificity and affinity (though without the same potential for divalent binding or complement interaction), while they differ in that they are more likely to seek protein invaginations rather than surface epitopes and thus would be complementary to the antibody approach. In Phase I, we will demonstrate the feasibility of this technology for identifying peptide vectors for the ricin toxin. RLI is a privately held, venture-backed, biotechnology company overseen by a seasoned Board of Directors. It was formed in 1990 for the purpose of developing and commercializing this new drug discovery technology and presently has a scientific staff of eight Ph.D.s and four degree level technicians.