# LAUR-201 (V-Smart®-TNV for Neuro-HIV): Novel V-Smart® Nanomedicine for Treatment of HAND

> **NIH NIH R41** · LAUREN SCIENCES, LLC · 2022 · $599,979

## Abstract

Lauren Sciences goal is to advance development of its innovative V-Smart® Nanomedicine for Neuro-HIV, LAUR-
201 (V-Smart®-Tenofovir for Neuro-HIV), as a disease-modifying therapeutic for the critical unmet medical needs
of 50% of the 40 million HIV patients worldwide who, despite suppressive antiretroviral therapy (ART), suffer
from HIV-associated neurocognitive disorders (HAND). Currently, there are no FDA-approved therapies for
HAND, and clinical symptoms include quantifiable cognitive deficits hallmarked by impaired memory. A major
shortcoming of first-line HIV therapies is lack of sustained potent delivery to the central nervous system (CNS),
which LAUR-201 is designed to solve. Tenofovir (TNV), a component of first-line combination antiretroviral (ARV)
pills Truvada and Atripla, is widely used and effective in HIV-infected individuals; however, TNV hardly crosses
the blood brain barrier (BBB). Since TNV has the poorest BBB penetration of typical ARV drugs, and is contained
in the most widely prescribed first-line therapy regimens, delivering TNV into the CNS may be the most useful to
eliminate HIV in the CNS. TNV is particularly effective in penetrating and eliminating HIV from the predominant
cells harboring HIV in the brain, and ongoing low-level viral replication in the brain confers a unique sanctuary
for HIV, which further contributes to HAND pathogenesis and the CNS HIV reservoir. Lauren Sciences used its
novel cutting edge V-Smart® Platform to develop LAUR-201, proven in preliminary data to: (1) encapsulate high
TNV concentrations, (2) retain TNV chemical structure, (3) deliver therapeutic TNV concentrations into mouse
brain after systemic administration, without apparent toxicity, and (4) reach TNV brain levels in mice well above
those attained in ART-treated patients’ blood. This SBIR Phase I is critical to prove feasibility of LAUR-201 to:
(1) maintain TNV efficacy in vitro and therapeutic levels in mice brain, and (2) be effective in the murine HAND
model, i.e., suppress persistent HIV in the CNS and ameliorate cognitive deficits conferred by HIV, without
toxicity, compared to free TNV, after systemic administration. LAUR-201 is a breakthrough solution for HAND,
solves the TNV brain delivery issue, targets persistent HIV within the CNS and can impact, and exert a sustained,
powerful influence on, this high unmet medical need. LAUR-201 is intended to become the first FDA-approved
drug to safely prevent HAND and overcome Neuro-HIV as part of the standard treatment for HIV patients.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10544378
- **Project number:** 1R41MH128188-01A1
- **Recipient organization:** LAUREN SCIENCES, LLC
- **Principal Investigator:** ELIAHU HELDMAN
- **Activity code:** R41 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $599,979
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2022-08-20 → 2025-08-19

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10544378

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10544378, LAUR-201 (V-Smart®-TNV for Neuro-HIV): Novel V-Smart® Nanomedicine for Treatment of HAND (1R41MH128188-01A1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-27 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10544378. Licensed CC0.

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