SignaBlok wins NIH grant to develop first-in-class IBD drug
What's the deal? SignaBlokDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, a Massachusetts biopharmaceutical company, has won a Phase I Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK)Dealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH)Dealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →. The award, announced September 17, 2026, funds development of a new therapy for inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).
What's the endgame? SignaBlok is building a peptide-based drug that targets TREM-1, a cell-surface receptor that amplifies inflammation and is implicated in IBD, cancer, arthritis, and fibrosis. The company pairs two proprietary technologies: its SCHOOL peptides, which inhibit receptors without blocking ligands, and a macrophage-targeted nanotechnology designed to limit immunosuppression risk.
What's the money for? The grant supports in vivo testing of SignaBlok's lead TREM-1 antagonist in two animal models of IBD. Earlier preclinical studies showed the formulation was well tolerated, with no immunogenicity and favourable pharmacokinetic profiles.
Why now? IBD, which includes Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis, affects between 2.4 and 3.1 million adults and children in the US. There is currently no cure, and existing therapies carry safety concerns SignaBlok aims to avoid.
"With NIDDK funding, we aim to establish preclinical proof of concept for IBD and accelerate the development of novel mechanism-based TREM-1 antagonist as a potential first-in-class therapy for patients with IBD," said Alexander Sigalov, president and founder of SignaBlok.
The signal: Non-dilutive federal grants remain a key funding route for late-preclinical biotechs pursuing novel mechanisms. For SignaBlok, the NIH backing validates its core platform as it moves TREM-1 therapies toward the clinic.
Read more: prlog.org
Image credit: Generated with Gemini
