SBIR-STTR Award

Linguagen Corp's goal is to identify, develop and market safe and effective bitter taste inhibitors. Recently adenosine 5' monophosphate (AMP) has been shown to block activation of the gustducin-dependent bitter taste pathway (1). The purpose of this Phase I SBIR proposal is to explore the potential of AMP as a inhibitor of the bitter taste of oral pharmaceuticals. The specific aims of this proposal are: to evaluate the efficacy of AMP as a bitter taste blocker in an animal model, and to identify which currently used oral pharmaceuticals would be targets for AMP's inhibitory action. A blocker of pharmaceuticals bitter taste could lead to more palatable medicines, which would increase patient compliance. Furthermore, tablets and capsules that can be difficult to swallow for children and the elderly could be reformulated into more easily administered solutions. The potential technological innovation from this proposed SBIR would be a greater understanding of the structure-function relationships of bitter taste inhibition. PROPOSED COMMERCIAL APPLICATION: The proposed commercial applications are to develop important oral pharmaceutical drugs to enhance compliance and efficacy.

Linguagen Corp's goal is to identify, develop and market safe and effective bitter taste inhibitors. Recently, adenosine 5' monophosophate (AMP) has been shown to block activation of the gustducin-dependent bitter taste pathway (1). The purpose of this Phase II SBIR proposal is to explore the potential of AMP as an inhibitor of the bitter taste of oral over the counter (OTC) pharmaceuticals. The specific aims of this proposal are designed to evaluate the efficacy of AMP as a bitter taste blocker of OTC pharmaceuticals in an in vitro biochemical assay, two-bottle preference tests utilizing an animal model and by human sensory evaluation. A blocker of pharmaceutical ingredients bitter taste could lead to more palatable medicines, which could increase patient compliance and provide a source of competitive advantage. Furthermore, tablets and capsules, which can be difficult to swallow for children and the elderly, could be re-formulated into more easily administered solutions. The potential technological innovation from this proposed SBIR would be a greater understanding of the structure-function relationship of bitter taste inhibitors.

Thesaurus Terms:
adenosine monophosphate, chemical structure function, drug design /synthesis /production, food flavor, taste, transducin drug screening /evaluation, food additive, sensory discrimination, swallowing, taste threshold, therapy compliance clinical research, human subject, laboratory mouse