Start-Up Previews (03/2009)
Executive Summary
A preview of the emerging health care companies profiled in the current issue of Start-Up. This month's profile group, "Treating Late-Stage Prostate Cancer," features profiles of AndroBioSys, Bellicum Pharmaceuticals, Colby Pharmaceuticals and Med Discovery. Plus these Start-Ups Across Health Care: AeonClad Biomedical, Arete Therapeutics, Bonovo Orthopedics and Thrasos Therapeutics.
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AeonClad Biomedical LLC
AeonClad Biomedical 's AeonCoat coating technology allows for surface modification at the nanoscale or particle level. The dry, tunable coating process can precisely apply a coating as thin as a few nanometers to as thick as hundreds of microns to a medical device or a drug powder. For devices, the start-up will create lubricious coatings for easier insertion and placement, coatings to increase cell growth and adhesion, non-fouling coatings that prevent contaminants from forming, and functional coatings for convenient attachment of biological materials. For drug delivery, AeonClad is focused on improving the efficacy of poorly water soluble drugs by preventing the drug from clumping once ingested and increasing the rate at which the drug dissolves in water.
Bonovo Orthopedics Inc.
East meets West in the orthopedics field with the establishment of Bonovo OrthopedicsI, an Arizona-based manufacturer and distributor of orthopedic products and services that is targeting the China market, with its estimated population of 1.3 billion. In addition to distributing products for Western companies, Bonovo Orthopedics manufactures and sells it own domestic line of spine, hip, and knee implants. The company also acts as an original equipment manufacturer in China for partnering firms.
Med Discovery SA
Switzerland's Med Discovery was founded on the discovery of a prostate cancer target, human kallikrein 2, a key protease associated with prostate biology that is thought to contribute to cancer progression and development. The start-up's lead protease inhibitor targets hK2 and is based on the natural serine protease inhibitor ACT, which the company believes will avoid the selectivity and toxicities of other protease inhibitors. Med Discovery is developing the candidate for prostate cancer, but it believes it also has potential for treating skin disorders and for immunological treatment of cancer.