Start-Up Previews (10/2007)
Executive Summary
A preview of the emerging health care companies profiled in the current issue of Start-Up. This month's profile group, "Cardiovascular Drug Start-Ups," features profiles of AcelleRX Therapeutics, BioVascular, Nile Therapeutics and VIA Pharmaceuticals. Plus these Start-Ups Across Health Care: JenaValve, Moberg Derma, ProtAffin, and Virtual Ports.
You may also be interested in...
Virtual Ports Ltd.
Virtual Ports aims to develop and commercialize innovative devices for the growing laparoscopic surgery market. Its lead product EndoGrab is an internally anchored, hands-free retracting device, which eliminates the need for a handheld retractor during surgery. EndoClear is an internally-anchored camera cleaner that enables the surgeon to repeatedly clean the camera lens during surgery without interrupting the procedure.
JenaValve Technology GMBH
JenaValve is developing percutaneous aortic valve replacement technology for high-risk patients with severe aortic stenosis. Its self-expanding heart valve and delivery system offer flexible conduit and secure implantation under beating-heart conditions, and its stent valve positioning system has the unique ability to reposition at any time, which is important for precise placement of the implant.
ProtAffin Biotechnologie AG
ProtAffin Biotechnologie AG's technology is based on the interactions between pro-inflammatory proteins such as chemokines, and leucocytes and endothelial cells that drive many acute and chronic inflammatory processes such as ischemia/reperfusion injury and rheumatoid arthritis. The company's CellJammer platform uses structural bioinformatics and rational protein engineering to take a target protein agonist that naturally binds to a GAG ligand and to create an antagonist that binds with higher affinity and blocks the target protein-GAG interaction.