Medical researchers now perceive an upside to parasitic worms; several groups around the world are looking to leverage helminths’ ability to suppress a host’s immune system enough to ensure their survival, which may help calm non-viral autoimmune diseases. The founders and backers of Helmedix Pty Ltd. of Sydney, Australia, aim to develop synthetic versions of parasite-secreted molecules shown to diminish a host’s normal immune response, and turn them into peptide drugs.

This Month's Profile Groups: Ocular Gene Therapy Sees The Light, features profiles of Avalanche Biotechnologies, Eyevensys, GenSight Biologics, and Hemera Biosciences; Smart Orthopedic Implants, feature profiles of OrthoData and Ortho-tag. Plus these Start-Ups Across Health Care: Colibri Heart Valve, Complix, Helmedix, Mapi Pharma, Mendor, Oligomerix, QuantuMDx, Silicon BioDevices, and Vigilant Biosciences.

Brief profiles of these recently formed companies: ArthroCAD, Carmenta Bioscience, Helmedix, MediBeacon, SulfaGENIX, and ViroCyt.