Hershey Center for Applied Research Announces New Tenant: ClawNor

For Immediate Release

Media Contact:
Linda Garisto
717-566-8900
lgaristo@hersheyresearch.com.

Company producing reagents for diagnosis and therapy of HPV infection

HERSHEY, PA – January 5, 2010 – The Hershey Center for Applied Research (HCAR) announced today that ClawNor  is now a tenant of its expanded Technology Suites located on the first floor of HCAR Building One. ClawNor is an early-stage company focused on producing reagents for diagnosis and therapy of human papillomavirus (HPV) infection. ClawNor was incorporated in 1996 and until recently was focused on consulting services.

The company will soon begin production of established monoclonal antibodies for type specific recognition of HPV. A number of R43 applications are pending which are focused on development of aptamers for recognition of HPV-infected cells and type-specific recognition of HPV types, with the ultimate goal of replacing the monoclonal antibodies with more affordable and widely available aptamers. ClawNor presently holds one US patent for a topical therapeutic reagent which shows promising efficacy for the eradication of HPV infections.  The company expects to employ 4-5 researchers within the next year.

“This company is developing some exciting diagnostic and therapeutic reagents for HPV, a virus that affects many people throughout the world,” said Laura Butcher, Executive Director of HCAR. “Clawnor has the potential to have a major positive impact on human health and we are very pleased to welcome them to the HCAR ecosystem.”

ClawNor will be located in a newly built Technology Suite located on the 1st floor of HCAR which offers wet laboratory facilities including a fume hood. The HCAR Technology Suites are supported by the Life Sciences Greenhouse of Central PA.

ClawNor’s new address is:
ClawNor
Hershey Center for Applied Research
1214 Research Boulevard, Suite 1017
Hummelstown, PA 17036

About the Hershey Center for Applied Research
Hershey Center for Applied Research (HCAR) provides resident organizations with state-of–the-art facilities and high-value business and research resources that enable growth escalation. In addition to its wet and dry lab facilities and office space in a campus-like setting in Hershey, PA, HCAR provides facilitated access to research expertise, especially in the areas of research discovery, development and commercialization; access to Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center and College of Medicine, a major research institution with amenities that include core facilities, clinical trial participation, researcher sponsorship and research advisers; and assistance in obtaining necessary business resources, like venture capital, human resources, including Penn State M.D.s and Ph.D.s, and access to business advisers. For more information, go to www.hersheyresearch.com.