Tivic Health Advances Military Discussions for Entolimod as Radiation Countermeasure
Key Insights
Tivic Health engaged with key US Government agencies including BARDA (search), AFRRI (search), and MCDC (search) at the 2025 Military Health System Research Symposium to discuss Entolimod's potential as a military radiation countermeasure.
Entolimod, a novel TLR5 (search) agonist with FDA Fast Track designation, is designed to prevent cell death in bone marrow and epithelial tissues impacted by radiation exposure.
The company's dual platform approach combines biopharmaceutical compounds that activate innate immune pathways with bioelectronic systems targeting neural pathways for various diseases.
Tivic Health Systems advanced strategic discussions with key US Government agencies regarding the military deployment of its lead drug candidate Entolimod as a radiation countermeasure during the 2025 Military Health System Research Symposium (MHSRS) held August 4-7, 2025, in Kissimmee, Florida.
The company's President of Biopharma and Chief Operating Officer, Michael Handley, met with representatives from the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA (search)), the Armed Forces Radiobiology Research Institute (AFRRI (search)), and the Medical CBRN Defense Consortium (MCDC (search)) to explore potential pathways for deploying Entolimod as a military countermeasure.
Strategic Government Partnerships
BARDA (search)'s mission focuses on developing medical countermeasures that address the public health and medical consequences of chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear (CBRN) accidents, incidents and attacks, pandemic influenza, and emerging infectious diseases. AFRRI (search) works to defend the nation from nuclear and radiological threats through research, leadership, training, and education. The MCDC (search) was established to engage and fund advanced development efforts supporting the Department of Defense's medical pharmaceutical and diagnostic requirements for enhancing military personnel mission effectiveness.
"It was an honor to contribute to the vital conversations that were focused generally on radiation medical countermeasures, and specifically on our lead clinical product candidate, Entolimod, which has the potential to protect the warfighter in the instance that they are exposed to radiation," said Handley.
Entolimod's Therapeutic Mechanism
Entolimod represents a novel approach to radiation protection as a TLR5 (search) agonist that has been granted Fast Track designation by the FDA and is currently in late-stage development for acute radiation syndrome. The drug candidate works by activating an innate immune pathway to prevent cell death in bone marrow and epithelial tissues across systems impacted by radiation exposure.
Tivic's biologics compounds are designed to activate innate immune pathways to prevent cell death in bone marrow and epithelial tissues across systems impacted by both radiation and age-related damage.
Dual Platform Technology
Beyond its radiation countermeasure program, Tivic operates a dual platform that utilizes the body's biopharmaceutical and bioelectronic systems to treat unmet medical needs through immune system targeting. The company's bioelectronic program is developing a novel, non-invasive medical device designed to target neural pathways implicated in many prevalent and debilitating diseases.
Early trials show promising signals that Tivic's approach may regulate specific biologic responses, and the company believes its early-stage vagus nerve stimulation device has the potential to deliver clinical outcomes similar to or better than those of surgically implanted devices.
Military Health Research Platform
The MHSRS serves as the Department of Defense's premier scientific meeting, bringing together military, academic, and industry experts to discuss medical research and innovation in support of warfighter health and readiness. The symposium provides direct access to organizations seeking military partnerships and connects companies with key funding organizations.
Representatives from Tivic joined global thought leaders, military leaders and researchers to share insights, explore collaborative opportunities, and present ongoing research intended to improve health outcomes for warfighters exposed to radiation in the field. The symposium serves as a dynamic platform for the exchange of research findings across multiple disciplines, including combat casualty care, medical countermeasures, infectious disease, and mental health.