Selected Start-Ups
Executive Summary
In Vivo briefly describes these recently founded companies: Airway Therapeutics, BliNK Therapeutics, CerebralRx, Eclipse Therapeutics, Lotus Tissue Repair and Scifluor Life Sciences.
Airway Therapeutics LLC
3130 Highland Avenue
3rd Floor
Cincinnati, OH 45219
Phone: (513) 475-6613
Airway Therapeutics LLC will commercialize pulmonary therapeutics stemming from technology licensed from Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center. Its initial candidates are based on recombinant human surfactant protein D, and will target bronchopulmonary dysplasia and the treatment of pulmonary infections associated with cystic fibrosis. The company recently closed a $500,000 seed round from CincyTech and Cincinnati Children's Tomorrow Fund. Steven E. Linberg, PhD, is the start-up's president and CEO. c/o Cancer Research Technology 407 St John Street London, EC1V 4AD, UK Phone: +44 20 3469 6300
Cancer Research Technology spin-out BliNK Therapeutics Ltd. is developing monoclonal antibodies for treating and diagnosing cancer, using a platform technology that prompts the immune system's B-cells to produce cancer-fighting monoclonal antibodies against clinically relevant antigens. Facundo Batista, PhD, and Vincenzo Cerundolo, MD, PhD, are BliNK's scientific founders. Kurma Life Sciences Partners has seeded the company with £1.1 million. 3 Geron Street POB 2713 Yehud, 56217 Israel Phone: +972-3-632-2126
BioControl Medical spun its epilepsy treatment business into CerebralRx Ltd., which has launched its first product, the FitNeS vagus nerve stimulation system for patients with refractory epilepsy. Cerebral Rx plans to expand into applications for other disorders including Alzheimer's and depression. 3830 Valley Centre Drive Suite 705-660 San Diego, CA 92130 Phone: NA
Former Biogen Idec scientists Peter Chu, PhD, and Christopher Reyes, PhD, have launched Eclipse Therapeutics Inc. to discover and develop therapeutic antibodies that that target cancer stem cells. Co-founder Jonathan Lim, MD, is managing partner at City Hill Ventures, which seeded Eclipse with $2 million. One Mifflin Place Suite 400 Cambridge, MA 02138 Phone: (617) 674-7610
Lotus Tissue Repair Inc. is developing proprietary recombinant human collagen Type VII (rC7) technology as a treatment for dermatologic conditions, leading with rC7 for the orphan indication dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa. Lotus has exclusively licensed its platform from the University of Southern California. Mark P. de Souza, PhD, is president & CEO of the start-up, to which Third Rock Ventures has committed $26 million in Series A financing. 33 Arch Street Suite 3201 Boston, MA 02110 Phone: (781) 325-1400
SciFluor Life Sciences LLC's fluorination technology can be applied at any stage of drug development to improve properties such as potency, bioavailability, binding affinity and blood-brain barrier penetration. The company's platform was developed by its chief technology officer, Harvard chemistry professor Tobias Ritter, PhD. Arthur Hiller is SciFluor's CEO. Allied Minds has funded the company with $5 million. BliNK Therapeutics Ltd.
CerebralRx Ltd.
Eclipse Therapeutics Inc.
Lotus Tissue Repair Inc.
SciFluor Life Sciences LLC