Presenting Companies
Aanastra Inc (Los Angeles, CA and Nimes, France) is a start-up biopharmaceutical company focused on treating cancer using its tissue-targeting peptide platform combined with novel RNA therapeutics to target and rescue undruggable and mutated Tumor Suppressor Genes, edit Oncogenes and target other genetic diseases. The technology driving Aanastra’s approach is based on proprietary peptides that are able to efficiently target various cells, tissues and tumors in vivo (other strategies for RNA delivery including viral and lipid-based methods cannot achieve this selectivity) combined with proprietary mRNA and gene-editing. Aanastra’s products in preclinical development have shown remarkable antitumor effects in animal models of various cancers that have mutated tumor suppressors like P53 or BRCA1 or mutated oncogenes like KRAS, as well as remarkable efficacy outside of cancer in animal models of hemophilia A by normalizing Factor VIII levels and in cholesterol lowering applications by targeting PCSK9. Aanastra is looking to move these programs into IND-enabling studies and the team is being built around seasoned professionals with extensive experience in company building, R&D and experienced clinical advisors.
Aclipse Therapeutics is developing potential disease-modifying, neuromuscular clinical stage assets – M107 for Gastroparesis (i.e., stomach paralysis) including GLP-1 induced gastroparesis, and M102 for ALS and other neurodegenerative diseases – providing investors and collaborators the opportunity for asymmetric returns. Our team, with a history of over 50 biotech transactions totaling over $13 billion, has acquired worldwide rights to two neuromuscular disease assets and is now raising a $10 million convertible note with a planned $40 million equity raise in 2025 to advance both programs through Phase 2 and to their next major value inflection points and investor exits. Our first asset, M107, a potential disease-modifying drug for the treatment of Gastroparesis, is on track for a Phase 2 IND filing early next year. The base global gastroparesis market is forecasted to reach $10.8 billion in 2030 with estimated M107 peak US sales of $1.3 billion/yr and now with Gastroparesis reported as a serious side effect in 1% to 5% of GLP-1 weight loss patients, M107 US peak sales could reach $4.7 billion/yr. M102, our potential disease-modifying drug for ALS (Lou Gerig’s disease), is on track to launch its Phase 1 trial this year. M102 is a Nrf2 and HSF1 activator. The Nrf2 pathway was recently validated by Biogen’s $7.3 billion acquisition of Reata Pharmaceuticals.
AiViva is a clinical stage biotech company founded in 2015, focused in ophthalmology and dermatology. Currently in Phase I trial for wAMD & DME, with a new new route of administration and compound; and completed a Phase 1 trial for basal cell carcinoma.
Alphyn is developing breakthrough therapies for the most challenging, severe, and common skin diseases using its proprietary Zabalafin (AB-101)Technology Platform. The Company’s lead product candidate, Zabalafin Hydrogel, is being developed as the first therapeutic for AD to directly treat AD’s itch and directly treat bacteria that are increasingly thought to cause AD’s inflammation and flares. It also directly treats infected AD skin and directly treats inflammation. Zabalafin Hydrogel completed two Phase 2a clinical trials in AD, which is reported to be the largest dermatology problem worldwide, with a projected $118 Billion global market and potential 800 million sufferers. Zabalafin Hydrogel’s Phase 2a clinical trial results were better than competitive drugs, pointing to it becoming the “drug of choice” to treat AD, significantly de-risking the Company.
Angiex makes first-in-class Nuclear-Delivered Antibody-Drug Conjugates and is reviving the anti-vascular approach to cancer therapy. Angiex’s lead drug, AGX101, is now in the clinic and is performing well, with no drug-related adverse effects to date, and stable disease. AGX101 is expected soon to demonstrate robust efficacy across several high unmet need tumor types, likely bringing the company to a major value inflection.
AvantGuard is a Cornell University spin-off/IndieBio alum with $8 million in grant funding from the NIH, NSF and others and $4 million in equity. We improved upon our own immune system to create a topical treatment against bacteria and fungi that performs better than antibiotics with no risk of resistance generation opening up a $10 billion topical treatment market.
BioAegis Therapeutics Inc. is a New Jersey-based clinical-stage company focused on developing therapies for inflammatory diseases through a portfolio built around plasma gelsolin (pGSN) — a highly conserved and abundant immune regulatory protein. pGSN becomes consumed in response to cell damage, infection and/or inflammation. Recombinant human plasma gelsolin (rhu-pGSN) is produced using a proprietary method in microbial cells.
Brii Biosciences Limited (“Brii Bio”, stock code: 2137.HK) is a biotechnology company developing therapies to address major public health challenges where patients experience high unmet medical needs, limited choice and significant social stigmas. With a focus on infectious and central nervous system diseases, the Company is advancing a broad pipeline of unique therapeutic candidates with lead programs against hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection. The Company is led by a visionary and experienced leadership team and has operations in key biotech hubs, including Raleigh-Durham, the San Francisco Bay Area, Beijing and Shanghai. For more information, visit www.briibio.com.
Circular Genomics is a pioneer in precision medicine, leveraging circular RNA for the accurate diagnosis and treatment of psychiatric and neurological disorders.
CraniUS is a therapeutic delivery company based in Baltimore, Maryland and founded by Dr. Chad Gordon, a pioneer in Neuroplastic and Reconstructive Surgery and Professor at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. Dr. Gordon has championed the invention of several novel surgical techniques and tools that improve the quality of life of patients receiving neurological surgery, yielding over 20 patents. CraniUS’ focus is now on the development of the NeuroPASS™ drug delivery platform that will fully bypass the Blood-brain barrier and allow drugs to reach the intended target area of treatment in the brain tissue. NeuroPass™ is drug agnostic and can change the way several brain diseases are treated in the future.
Creyon Bio is a clinical stage biotechnology company developing best-in-class precision medicines with industry-leading efficiency through molecular engineering of Oligonucleotide-Based Medicines (OBMs). This includes ASOs, siRNAs, and aptamers. The company is changing how we create novel OBMs, transforming the process from drug discovery to drug engineering. Creyon has built the first and only platform capable of engineering for safety first, translating new target discoveries to OBMs with optimal pharmacological properties. Coupled with our aptamer-based delivery technologies, Creyon Bio is unlocking the full potential of OBMs for common and rare diseases alike.
CureLab Oncology is a biotechnology company developing new anti-cancer biologics. CureLab Oncology is committed to creating a family of revolutionary therapies for oncology patients in order to help prolong their lives. CureLab Oncology's lead product, Elenagen™, is a plasmid (supercoiled circular DNA) encoding gene p62/SQSTM1. Elenagen™ reverses tumor grade, changes tumor microenvironment, enhances the anti-cancer effects of other therapies (e.g. chemotherapy), mitigates chronic inflammation, and stimulates an immune attack on the tumor. The CureLab Oncology team has completed its international Phase I/IIa Clinical Trials of Elenagen™. The vaccine demonstrated a high degree of safety as well as clinical benefits in a number of patients. Based on these successful results, we initiated Phase II Clinical Trials outside of the United States, and are now preparing Phase II Clinical Trials within the US.
Cytogel's goal has been to produce a safe and novel analgesic with gold standard “opioid-like effectiveness” and remarkable “non-opioid-like safety”. We are succeeding in this goal, so far, as we enter Phase 2 development with our lead compound CYT-1010, a compound synthesized from an endogenous substance, possessing a novel mechanism of action. Our pre-clinical data to date show a lack of addiction potential with CYT-1010 and a lack of respiratory depression at doses at least as high as 9X the therapeutic dose.
Drusolv Therapeutics is developing an oral drug for early intervention in a blinding eye disease called age-related macular degeneration (AMD). The company and its lead investor are currently syndicating a $20M Series A round to support clinical development.
The foundational therapies for pancreatic cancer and other hard-to-treat tumors have largely remained unchanged for over two decades. Duo Oncology, founded by oncologists, is developing tumor penetrating nanomedicines to provide patients with upgraded, life-saving therapies. Duo’s patented chemistry releases potent drug combinations deep within established tumors, reducing toxicity and improving outcomes. Lead product, DUO-207 shows better safety and efficacy than Abraxane® combinations in animal studies, providing much needed update to paclitaxel backbone therapy. Other company highlights include 40% of seed investment from BeiGene Pharmaceuticals, over $800k in NIH SBIR awards, two Orphan indications, and an $8M follow-on term sheet from Prevail Partners to fund clinical trials.
epiMedTech Global aims to revolutionize and commercialize clinical testing worldwide by providing robust epigenetic tests with an expansive market reach. Founded by Professor Moshe Szyf, CEO—a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada and the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences, and a renowned pioneer in epigenetics—our company’s mission is to improve lives by detecting and preventing disease before it becomes a major health issue. We are translating the science of epigenetics to a novel, patented platform for clinical laboratory tests. Combining our deep knowledge in epigenetics, next-generation sequencing, and bioinformatics computation, we are developing targeted next-generation sequencing epigenetic and genetic tests for many of the common cancers, as well as consumer-based tests for lifestyle management. epiMedTech Global is headquartered in Singapore and is the new parent company of HKG epitherapeutics and our flagship lab in Hong Kong.
Founded in 1998, Gan & Lee Pharmaceuticals is a prominent pharmaceutical company headquartered in Beijing, China, with a US affiliate office in Bridgewater, New Jersey. The company focuses on developing, producing, and commercializing insulin analogs and innovative treatments for diabetes and obesity. Gan & Lee is advancing its novel GLP-1 receptor agonist, GZR18, which has shown promising Phase 2b results in obesity and aims to set new standards in the treatment landscape. With a strong R&D pipeline and global ambitions, Gan & Lee is exploring co-development and co-commercialization opportunities outside of China.
Haima Therapeutics is a preclinical-stage biopharma company developing cell-inspired therapies for the treatment of bleeding and a variety of blood-related diseases. Its first product is an intravenous hemostatic agent that mimics platelets’ function to control bleeding. Uncontrolled hemorrhage is a common problem during surgeries and after traumatic injury. Significant blood loss during surgical procedures often leads to patient morbidities such as organ failure, infection, extended hospital stays, etc. Currently, there are limited options for mitigating non-compressible hemorrhage. Haima is developing SynthoPlate (SP), a fully synthetic, intravenous hemostat that adheres to the injury site and promotes platelet recruitment and aggregation to prevent and treat bleeding complications. If no bleeding exists, the drug is rapidly and safely eliminated through the liver.
Hemogenyx Pharmaceuticals is a publicly traded company (LSE: HEMO) headquartered in London, with its US operating subsidiaries, Hemogenyx Pharmaceuticals LLC and Immugenyx LLC, located in New York City at its state-of-the-art research facility. The Company is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical group developing new medicines and treatments for life-threatening diseases. Hemogenyx Pharmaceuticals is developing several distinct and complementary product candidates, as well as a platform technology that it uses as an engine for novel product development.
Hervolution is developing therapies against proteins from the dark genome – in particular, developing an immune therapy platform targeting antigens that are known causative agents in aging, cancer, diabetes, and ALS. Our proprietary breakthrough has broken immune tolerance to these previously undruggable antigens. The Dark Genome is a new area of therapeutic development with the potential to lead to new, ground-breaking treatments for disease on an unimagined scale.
InnoSIGN is a start-up company based at the High Tech Campus in Eindhoven (NL) and in Mason, Ohio (US). We are passionate to bring our OncoSIGNal pathway activity profiling technology to cancer patients contributing to a better understanding of disease mechanisms in oncology. Our product OncoSIGNal enables next generation precision medicine by translating molecular data into functional cell behavior, facilitating to improve personalized treatment of patients.
Intrommune Therapeutics is a clinical stage biotechnology company developing patient-friendly therapies for the treatment of food allergies. The company’s initial product, INT301, is an allergy immunotherapy treatment delivered via a specially formulated toothpaste designed to optimize exposure of allergenic proteins to a patient’s immune system while also cleaning their teeth. This approach, known as oral mucosal immunotherapy (OMIT), drives the immune system toward specific tolerance. As part of a patient’s daily routine, OMIT toothpaste is regularly exposed to oral tissues and then expectorated, avoiding the significant adverse events caused from ingesting allergenic food proteins.
Jaguar Health, Inc. (NASDAQ: JAGX) is a commercial stage pharmaceuticals company focused on developing and commercializing novel proprietary prescription medicines sustainably derived from plants from rainforest areas for essential supportive care and management of neglected gastrointestinal symptoms across multiple complicated disease states. Jaguar’s crofelemer is FDA-approved under the brand name Mytesi® for the symptomatic relief of noninfectious diarrhea in adults with HIV/AIDS on antiretroviral therapy and was the subject of the company’s pivotal phase 3 OnTarget trial for prophylaxis of cancer therapy-related diarrhea (CTD). Jaguar family company Napo Therapeutics is an Italian corporation Jaguar established in Milan, Italy in 2021 focused on expanding crofelemer access in Europe and specifically for orphan and/or rare diseases. Jaguar Animal Health is a Jaguar tradename. Magdalena Biosciences, a joint venture formed by Jaguar and Filament Health Corp. that emerged from Jaguar's Entheogen Therapeutics Initiative (ETI), is focused on developing novel prescription medicines derived from plants for mental health indications.
Leapfrog Bio is a Phase 2 precision oncology company that leverages its clinically validated pharmacogenetics platform to develop novel genetically targeted therapeutics against the approximately 2/3 of cancers driven by unaddressed loss of function mutations. The Company’s lead product candidate is entering a clinical proof-of-concept trial to evaluate its efficacy in lung, colon and bladder cancers. The compound targets a mutation for which there are no therapies approved or in development and which appears with significant frequency in these and other cancers, giving it blockbuster potential. The company’s management team has extensive drug development experience and is backed by Two Bear Capital. The Company is seeking to raise a $20 MM Series A to finance the Phase 2 trial of its lead compound and to further develop its pipeline and platform.