Start-Up Previews (11/2008)
Executive Summary
A preview of the emerging health care companies profiled in the current issue of Start-Up. This month's profile group, "In Immunotherapy, Finally Time for T Cells?," features profiles of Adaptimmune, Altor BioScience, and Cell Medica. Plus these Start-Ups Across Health Care: Adnavance Technologies, Amplyx Pharmaceuticals, IlluminOss Medical, and KM Medical.
A preview of the emerging health care companies profiled in the current issue of START-UP: FDC-Windhover’s Review of Emerging Medical Ventures
This month's profile group: In Immunotherapy, Finally Time for T Cells?
The founders of Adaptimmune Therapeutics PLC believe they’ve found a way around the difficulties that have sunk the hopes of so many other firms trying to commercialize T cell based therapies. The start-up aims to leverage technology to enhance T cells’ inherent cell-killing ability. The technique calls for harvesting a patient’s own T cells, transfecting them with a specific gene sequence, then expanding this population of altered cells and re-infusing them into a patient’s body.
Monoclonal antibodies have been one of the true success stories of the biotechnology industry but they have a major drawback: they cannot enter cells, so they are limited to antigens that appear on the cell surface. Many potential protein targets, including some involved in cancer and infectious diseases, are found only in the interior of cells. While intracellular antibodies can get around that problem, Altor BioScience Corp. (Also see "Altor BioScience Corp. " - Scrip, 1 Nov, 2008.) is banking on another solution. Its STAR technology relies on T-cell receptors as a mechanism to reach antigens that are normally out of the reach of antibodies.
Cell Medica Ltd. (Also see "Cell Medica Ltd. " - Scrip, 1 Nov, 2008.) is pursuing a relatively low-tech, low-risk approach to T-cell immunotherapy. The two-year-old spin-out of Imperial Innovations Group PLC is treating immunosuppressed bone marrow donation recipients with T cells isolated from their bone marrow donors. The company’s first project is in isolating cytomegalovirus-specific T cells from donors for infusion into patients who are at particular risk of CMV infection following bone marrow transplant.
Start-Ups across Health Care
Even though mortality rates double each day an MRSA infection remains untreated, most hospitals have to outsource diagnostic tests to off-site labs, losing precious treatment time. Adnavance Technologies Inc. (Also see "Adnavance Technologies Inc." - Medtech Insight, 1 Nov, 2008.) hopes to change this. The company’s ADNAstat amplification-free technology enables rapid detection of MRSA DNA on-site at any hospital.
Other companies’ disappointments could turn out to be blessings for Amplyx Pharmaceuticals Inc. (Also see "Amplyx Pharmaceuticals Inc." - Scrip, 1 Nov, 2008.) The start-up thinks it has a solution for ADME problems that derail candidates in clinical trials or that lead to side effects and reduced efficacy in marketed drugs. Amplyx believes it can improve problematic small-molecule drugs by extending their half-life without making the compounds too big to be delivered orally.
IlluminOss Medical Inc. (Also see "IluminOss Medical Inc." - Medtech Insight, 1 Nov, 2008.) ] is pioneering a percutaneous approach for repairing broken bones. The IlluminOss Internal Bone Stabilization System creates a permanent implant by filling the cavity inside the affected bone with a photodynamic liquid polymer that quickly turns to a solid state upon the application of a specific-frequency light. The polymer conforms to the patient’s anatomy and provides sturdy, permanent support. It is a minimally invasive procedure, requiring only about a 4-mm incision for the entry of a small inflatable balloon catheter system. There is very little disruption to the soft tissue surrounding the affected bone, which should lead to rapid patient recoveries.
[KM Medical Ltd.] (Also see "KM Medical Ltd." - Medtech Insight, 1 Nov, 2008.) was formed to develop a revolutionary neonatal resuscitator to meet the needs of an underserved market. KM Medical’s offering is an automatic, hand-held resuscitator with transport ventilator capability designed for controlled delivery of the small volumes of air that neonates require and a display technology that verifies that delivery.