Selected Start-Ups (12/2009)
Executive Summary
In Vivo briefly describes these recently founded companies:Checkpoint Surgical, Enavail, Ligon Discovery, Pergamum, Western States Biopharmaceuticals and Zyngenia.
Out of the Blocks Summarizing the technologies of recently founded companies
Checkpoint Surgical LLC
22901 Millcreek Boulevard, Suite 110
Cleveland, OH 44122
Phone: (216) 378-9107
Web Site: www.checkpointsurgical.com
Checkpoint Surgical LLC, a spin-out of neurostimulation-focused device incubator NDI Medical LLC, is developing a hand-held disposable device to help surgeons locate nerves, evaluate their function, and avoid inadvertent nerve injury during surgery. NDI Medical VP Len Cosentino is Checkpoint's president and CEO. JumpStart Inc. provided $250,000 in seed funding.
Enavail LLC
11412 Bee Caves Road
Suite 300
Austin, TX 78738
Phone: (512) 697-8161
Email: [email protected]
Web Site: www.enavail.com
Emergent Technologies has launched [Enavail LLC] to provide particle engineering expertise to biopharma partners. Enavail's technology, developed at the University of Texas at Austin, is designed to increase dissolution and bioavailability of poorly water soluble drugs and protein and peptide compounds. Emergent SVP Brian Windsor, PhD, is Enavail's president.
Ligon Discovery Inc.
64 Sidney Street
Cambridge MA 02139
Phone: (617) 453-0952
E-Mail: [email protected]
Web Site: www.ligondiscovery.com
Ligon Discovery Inc. will use small-molecule microarray technology licensed from Harvard University and the Broad Institute to identify drugs against novel targets, primarily in oncology. Patrick Kleyn, PhD, former director of scientific planning at the Broad Institute, is president and CEO of the start-up, which raised $1 million in seed funding from incTANK Ventures.
Pergamum AB
Fogdevreten 2b, Solna
171 77 Stockholm, Sweden
Phone: +46 8 52 48 91 00
E-Mail: [email protected]
Web Site: www.pergamum.com
New specialty pharma Pergamum AB was formed to commercialize Karolinska Development AB's current dermatology and wound healing programs, and to create a broad‐based therapeutic company in those areas. Its product pipeline consists of five development projects, three of which are in clinical trials. Magnus Precht is Pergamum's CEO.
Western States Biopharmaceuticals Inc.
Bioscience Park Center
12635 East Montview Boulevard, Suite 100
Aurora, CO 80045
Phone: (888) 522-1770
E-Mail: [email protected]
Web Site: www.westerstatesbiopharm.com
Western States Biopharmaceuticals Inc. is developing novel anti-inflammatory drug candidates that target T-cell cytokine-inducing surface molecules (TCISMs), proteins that selectively regulate the adaptive immune process but leave the innate immune system intact. Co-founder Michael J. Reilly is president and CEO of the start-up, which is based on intellectual property from the University of Colorado, Denver, Anschutz Medical Center.
Zyngenia Inc.
9800 Medical Center Drive
Suite C-120
Rockville, MD 20850
E-Mail: [email protected]
Web Site: www.zyngenia.com
Zyngenia Inc. aims to develop multi-specific antibodies using its proprietary Zybody platform, which engineers single-molecule therapeutics that can interact with two or more targets. The company's technology is based on the work of president and CEO Peter A. Kiener, DPhil, the former head of R&D at MedImmune, and CSO Carlos F. Barbas III, PhD, from the Scripps Research Institute. New Enterprise Associates provided a $10 million Series A.