Perth, April 7, 2008 AEST (ABN Newswire) - Starpharma Holdings Ltd (ASX:SPL)(OTCQX: SPHRY) today announced the signing of an agreement with Unilever, to co-develop a research tool using Starpharma's Priostar(R) dendrimer technology. An undisclosed fee is payable to Starpharma's US subsidiary DNT Inc as part of the arrangement.
Under the agreement, DNT will make its Priostar(R) dendrimers available to Unilever as imaging agents to analyse the microscopic structure of foods. Understanding the microstructure is an important factor in creating appetizing food, determining properties such as 'mouth-feel' and controlled release of taste and smell. Unilever's research & development scientists will use the dendrimers for analysis purposes as part of one of their innovation projects.
"We are delighted to be working with a company of Unilever's caliber and resources in this highly innovative application of Priostar(R) dendrimers. This agreement underscores the relevance of dendrimers across a wide variety of industries." commented Dr Robert Berry, President of Starpharma's US subsidiary Dendritic Nanotechnologies Inc.
"Dendrimers are also relevant in the chemicals and materials industries, as well as the pharmaceutical and medical sectors."
This is the company's second agreement with a commercial party for applications of Priostar(R) and it extends Starpharma's recent commercial arrangements for its dendrimers. These include deals with EMD Chemicals, SSL Plc and dermatology company Stiefel Laboratories Inc.
In the wider pharmaceutical field Starpharma has specific programs in the areas of Drug Delivery and Drug Optimisation technologies (using dendrimers to control where and when drugs go when introduced to the body) and Targeted Diagnostics (using dendrimers as a scaffold to which both location-signalling and targeting groups are added to allow location of specific cell type, such as cancer cells). More broadly the company is exploring dendrimer opportunities in materials science with applications as diverse as adhesives, lubricants and water remediation.
SPL has a comprehensive IP portfolio that comprises more than 224 patents/applications issued and pending across 56 patent families - a unique level of IP concentration among nanotechnology companies.
Dendrimers: A type of precisely-defined, branched nanoparticle. Dendrimers have applications in the medical, electronics, chemicals and materials industries.
American Depositary Receipts (ADRs): Starpharma's ADRs trade under the code SPHRY (CUSIP number 855563102). Each Starpharma ADR is equivalent to 10 ordinary shares of Starpharma as traded on the Australian Stock Exchange. The Bank of New York Mellon is the depositary bank. Starpharma's ADRs are listed on International OTCQX (www.otcqx.com), a premium market tier in the U.S. for international exchange-listed companies, operated by Pink Sheets, LLC.
Contact
Dr Jackie Fairley
Chief Executive Officer
+61 3 8532 2704
Ben Rogers
Company Secretary
+61 3 8532 2702
ben.rogers@starpharma.com
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