The Austin Chamber of Commerce and the Central Texas Regional Center of Innovation and Commercialization (CenTex RCIC) announce that the state of Texas has chosen Terapio Corporation, a Central Texas pharmaceutical company, as the recipient of an award funded through the Texas Emerging Technology Fund (ETF). The Austin-based company specializing in the development of innovative therapeutics for such things as the treatment and prevention of Hand-Foot Syndrome, will receive a $1.7 million project award to hasten the commercialization of its product pipeline.

“Terapio is a great addition to the growing life science industry in Austin,” said Jeff King, Partner Haynes & Boone, LLP and Chairman of the CenTex RCIC. "With the help of the CenTex RCIC, a highly trained workforce and vast experience in research and development, Austin can serve the needs of the biomedical and life science industries in a distinctive way."

The cornerstone of the systemic and topical therapies being developed at Terapio (Te•rah•pe•o) is the normally-occurring transport protein RLIP76 that moves free-radical toxins out of cells before significant damage can occur from chemical, burn and radiation insults. For many patients receiving chemotherapy, a common side effect is the chemical burns associated with Hand-Foot Syndrome (HFS), which is caused by small amounts of chemotherapy drug leaking into the skin and damaging those areas.

“Hand-Foot Syndrome has been troublesome for oncologists and patients for decades. We hope to bring a preventative to the market that will be of benefit in the various chemotherapy regimens where it is prevalent,” said C. Casey Cunningham, MD, Co-Founder, Vice President and Medical Director of Terapio as well as a clinical oncologist. “The Emerging Technology Fund award is certainly a positive step forward for the company in our efforts to bring this important technology to market.”

Currently, the only truly effective treatment of HFS is to delay or suspend the patient’s chemotherapy, thus delaying the patient's treatment of their cancer. Terapio’s topical formulation of RLIP76 protein will be applied to the skin as a preventative for HFS, allowing more patients to finish their chemotherapy treatment on time.

Terapio was selected by the Centex RCIC after an extensive due diligence process based on multiple criteria including a stringent analyses of the market and financial opportunity, technology potential, management team and economic impact to Texas. They worked collaboratively with the University of Texas-Arlington, the University of North Texas Health Science Center, the Cancer Research Center at Scott & White in Temple and Texas A&M University.

“This award from the Emerging Technology Fund will allow Terapio to leverage the numerous university and industry collaborations we have within the State of Texas to accelerate the commercialization of the RLIP76 protein,” said Curt Bilby, Terapio President and CEO and the current Chairman of BioAustin. “We are very bullish on the capabilities within Texas and our state’s ability to be competitive in the commercial life science sector.”

About BioAustin
BioAustin, formed under the support of the Austin Chamber of Commerce, represents over 100 life science companies with over 7,000 employees operating in the five-county Austin region. Through BioAustin, local life science companies are given opportunities to network and collaborate which, in turn, leads to new commercialization and growth. Austin is a large center of support for life science companies including venture capital, qualified scientific and support talent, facility space, research and strong academic collaboration and amazing quality of life.

About the CenTex RCIC
The CenTex RCIC is a virtual center that operates out of the Austin Chamber of Commerce and serves as a catalyst for emerging technology research, development, commercialization and start-up incubation. In an effort to keep Texas globally competitive, the CenTex RCIC focuses on integrating technology development and commercialization in a 15-county region.

The CenTex RCIC works closely with the Chamber’s AusTech Alliance, a group of technology businesses and organizations working to consolidate efforts that strengthen the regional technology sector and to keep Texas globally competitive. The Central Texas Angel Network (CTAN), which aims to assist local entrepreneurs with investment opportunities, also works with the CenTex RCIC, ETF and the universities to identify capital for start-ups.