REP. MIKE THOMPSON ANNOUNCES $222,000 GRANT FOR RIPTIDE BIOSCIENCE, INC.
WASHINGTON D.C. – U.S. Rep. Mike Thompson (CA-5) today announced a $222,179 Small Business Innovation Research grant for Riptide Bioscience, INC. Riptide Bioscience, INC. is based in Vallejo on Mare Island. The grant, from the National Eye Institute (NEI), will go towards a research project titled the Designed Host Defense Peptides for the Treatment of Bacterial Keratitis.
"Not only will this grant support Riptide Bioscience's cutting-edge research, it will provide a boost to our local economy as this money is invested in new innovations and medical advances," said Thompson. "The work being done by Riptide Bioscience is second to none, and I am proud they call our district and Mare Island home."
"Our firm, Riptide Bioscience, has been developing peptides that have remarkable antibacterial activity, and also fight the inflammation that accompanies many serious illnesses," said Henry Lopez, Executive Vice President of Riptide. "Keratitis is one of the conditions where a real concern is the development of bacterial resistance to the most common drugs. But bacteria can't easily develop resistance to these peptides, which are proteins derived from naturally occurring defense mechanisms. The promise here is to develop a whole class of therapeutics that trump bacterial resistance and can be used against a very wide range of diseases. With new resistant strains arising every day, the need is urgent."
Bacterial keratitis is an infection of the cornea, the clear, round dome covering the eye's iris and pupil, that causes pain, reduced vision, light sensitivity and tearing or discharge from your eye. Resulting from infection from contact lens use or from injury to the eye, bacterial keratitis usually develops very quickly, and if left untreated, can cause blindness.
Bacterial keratitis afflicts 30,000 patients in the United States every year.
Riptide Bioscience's goal is to evaluate Designed Host Defense Peptides (dHDPs). DHPDs are small molecular weight proteins that fight against bacteria, viruses, and fungi and can be used for the topical treatment of keratitis.
Congressman Mike Thompson is proud to represent California's 5th Congressional District, which includes all or part of Contra Costa, Lake, Napa, Solano and Sonoma Counties. He is a senior member of the House Ways and Means Committee and the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence. Rep. Thompson is also a member of the fiscally conservative Blue Dog Coalition and chairs the bipartisan, bicameral Congressional Wine Caucus.
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