$2 million grant aimed at fighting central nervous system cancer
Federal funding enables LNK Chemsolutions LLC to advance research program

Lincoln, Neb., Oct. 26, 2011—The devastating glioma cancer attacks the central nervous system of nearly 10,000 Americans every year.

To continue its research efforts in combating this disease, LNK Chemsolutions LLC received a $2 million federal grant. The funding allows the Lincoln company to continue working alongside the University of Chicago on experiments using extremely small, drug-loaded particles to target deadly cancer cells.

The grant was made possible through the National Institutes of Health’s Phase II Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program.

To target diseases at the cellular level, while minimizing the impact on healthy tissues, the research program uses a versatile proprietary technology platform to produce a series of nanoparticles. A nanoparticle is typically one ten thousandth the diameter of a human hair. Using animal models, Dr. Bakhtiar Yamini at the University of Chicago Medical Hospitals tracks the effect these nanoparticles developed by LNK Chemsolutions LLC have on induced glioma tumors.

Research team members from LNK Chemsolutions LLC include Dr. Ruben Spretz as principal investigator, Dr. Luis Nuñez as co-principal investigator and Dr. Gustavo Larsen, co-investigator and LNK Chemsolutions LLC principal, along with Dr. Yamini, a co-principal investigor and resaerch collaborator from the University of Chicago Medical Hospitals.

Focusing on sustainable, long-term value, LNK Chemsolutions LLC develops proprietary biomedical nano-engineering technology platforms. The company strategically evaluates and targets opportunities in global markets with high growth potential, while retaining high-technology development jobs and expertise in Nebraska.

LNK Chemsolutions LLC has clean industrial-grade (Class 100) high-speed, proprietary ultrafine particle and fiber production capabilities. The company is also developing hemostatic products with support from the U.S. Army, in partnership with other commercial entities including Hemobras, Brazil’s largest plasma fractionator and in scientific collaboration with University of Nebraska Medical Center and University of Nebraska–Lincoln.

In association with Gihon Laboratories, a global pharmaceutical products manufacturer in Argentina, LNK Chemsolutions LLC and its sister company Biotarget® are developing drug nano-carriers for a wide variety of applications including treatment of parasitic diseases in cattle.

According to Larsen, the company’s founder, LNK Chemsolutions LLC was able to bypass the angel investment phase many newer tech firms depend on and has not been diluted by outside capital infusion, maintaining a zero debt to equity ratio. The company has secured about $8 million in funding from Fortune 500 clients through its service contract activities and from various federal sources.

LNK Chemsolutions LLC, started in 2000 with core competencies in nanoparticle and nanofiber research and developing applications in areas such as toxicology, tissue engineering, encapsulation, and controlled release. The company was founded by Larsen, a scientist with international visibility in the fields of nanostructured materials, catalysis and adsorption phenomena.

LNK Chemsolutions LLC has received contracts from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the U.S. Department of Energy, the National Science Foundation, the National Institutes of Health, and two Fortune 500 companies to develop new nanotech products. Its state-of-the-art laboratory facilities are located at the Nebraska Technology Park in Lincoln, Neb.

Contact: Ruben Spretz, 402.419.6909, rspretz@LNKChemsolutions.com, www.LNKChemsolutions.com

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