September 30, 2018, Coralville, IA – Emmyon is pleased to announce that it has received a new Phase II Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) award from the National Institute on Aging (NIA) at the US National Institutes of Health (NIH). The funding will support further development of novel pharmaceutical compounds for skeletal muscle atrophy.
Skeletal muscle atrophy, also known as muscle wasting, is a widespread and serious condition that affects tens of millions of people in the US alone. Causes of muscle atrophy include aging, malnutrition, muscle disuse, critical illness, certain medications, and a broad range of chronic illnesses including cancer, heart failure, COPD, diabetes, renal failure, cirrhosis, rheumatoid arthritis, and HIV/AIDS. Effects of muscle atrophy include weakness, impaired activity, falls, prolonged hospitalization, delayed rehabilitation, loss of independent living, and increased mortality. Unfortunately, right now, we do not have any medicines to help prevent or treat muscle atrophy. Our research seeks to address this problem. We’re very grateful to the NIA and the NIH for their continued support of these efforts.