Bion
Executive Summary
Developing am HIF-based inotropic drug for congestive heart failure.
Business: Cardiovascular disease therapeutics
10 Hawthorne Place, Suite 106
Boston, MA 02114
(617) 722-9770
Contact: R. Dana Ono, PhD, CEO
Founded: June 1994
Bion Inc.’s Hypothalamic Inhibitory Factor (HIF), a hormone discovered by Dr. Garner Haupert of Massachussetts General Hospital, appears to control the “sodium pump” (sodium potassium-ATPase), a fundamental enzyme found in all cells. Bion licenses rights to US and European patents from Mass General.
Through the sodium pump, HIF influences cardiac muscle contractility (inotropy) and salt excretion by kidney cells. Bion is developing an HIF-based inotropic drug for congestive heart failure. Digoxin, derived from digitalis plant, is the established agent targeting the sodium pump, but can be toxic. Bion bets that an HIF-based drug, as mammalian equivalent, will see fewer side effects and become preferred therapy.
HIF’s exact organic structure being determined, and synthetic means of producing being explored (currently limited amount extracted from hypothalami of cattle brains). Target date for IND application: Fall 1997.
Bion has four full-time employees and sponsors research teams working under Dr. Haupert, Nobel laureate E.J. Corey of Harvard University, Dr. Edgar Haber of the Harvard School of Public Health (formerly president of Bristol-Myers Squibb research), and chemist Dr. Koji Nakanishi of Columbia University .
Seed funds from private investors. Dr. Ono, CEO, was previously president and CEO of Arcturus Pharmaceutical Corporation which he co-founded in 1991; Chairman Steven R. Levisohn, MD, fouded tech-development company Physiologica; VP chemistry is Rex Gallagher, PhD, formerly director analytical chemistry at AgriDyne Technologies.--AR