Presenting Companies
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.
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 products restore plasma gelsolin, a human protein, whose important clinical role has been studied in animals and humans. Based on discoveries by Dr. Thomas Stossel and others, the body’s natural reservoir of plasma gelsolin keeps inflammation local, while its deficiency leads to inflammatory dysregulation and catastrophic consequences like multiple organ failure, shock and death. Systemic inflammation causes morbidity and mortality in a myriad of diseases including rare orphan indications and major acute and chronic diseases such as trauma, burns, renal disease and sepsis. Replacement of plasma gelsolin holds great promise for patients suffering from severe conditions with high unmet medical needs. BioAegis is developing high value, biomarker-directed treatments across a range of indications.
Brii Biosciences 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 diseases and central nervous system diseases, we have built a robust pipeline of potential treatment options based on patient insights and experiences, and are advancing these differentiated investigational therapies to address patient choice. Led by a visionary and experienced leadership team, Brii Bio has deep scientific expertise and a proven ability to progress therapeutic assets from discovery to commercial approval on a consolidated timeline. Established in 2018, Brii Bio now has operations in key biotech hubs, including Raleigh-Durham, the San Francisco Bay Area, Beijing and Shanghai. On July 13, 2021, the Company was officially listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange under the stock code 2137.HK.
Calissa Therapeutics is a clinical stage dermatology company targeting vascular lesions. Our lead indications are rosacea and port wine birthmark, one of the most common birthmarks. Lead asset CX-001 has been approved ex-US with over 30,000 patients treated. The target product profile includes higher/deeper responses, much less frequent treatment and minimal relapse vs. SOC, based on distinctive MOA that might permanently shut down blood vessels. IND was approved by FDA in 2022 and phase 2 study is ongoing.
Cingulate® (CTx®) is a Phase 3 clinical stage biopharmaceutical company utilizing its proprietary Precision Timed Release™ (PTR™) drug delivery platform to build and advance a pipeline of branded next-generation pharmaceutical products. These will be designed to improve the lives of patients suffering from frequently diagnosed conditions characterized by burdensome daily dosing regimens and suboptimal treatment outcomes. With an initial focus on the treatment of Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Cingulate is identifying and evaluating additional therapeutic areas, such as anxiety disorders, where PTR™ technology may be employed to develop future product candidates.
At Circular Genomics, our approach stands apart from the rest. We specialize in developing tests utilizing circular RNA biomarkers, renowned for their superior stability and relevance to brain disorders. Unlike static DNA pharmacogenomic testing, circular RNA reflects an individual's evolving biological status in real time, making them an invaluable tool for precision psychiatry. Our tests are poised to revolutionize the standard of care, providing invaluable insights for diagnosing, monitoring and treating psychiatric and neurological conditions.
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.
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 PLC 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.
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.
Intrommune Therapeutics, Inc. is a biotechnology company located in New York, NY. Intrommune is developing food allergy immunotherapies that are delivered while you brush your teeth, a lifelong habit that is ingrained in most people and ensures daily use of our product. Intrommune's elegant new treatment platform for food allergies is expected to be safe, effective and convenient. Intrommune’s first product is a therapy for patients who suffer from peanut allergy. Intrommune is developing the oral mucosal immunotherapy (OMIT) platform for food allergies. It is a long-term solution for the 220 million, including 32 million people in the U.S., who suffer from this life-altering condition.
Leapfrog Bio is developing targeted therapies for cancers driven by genetic mutations that cannot be treated with conventional approaches. Our advanced pharmacogenomic approach yields novel insights into the biology of these cancers and simultaneously identifies small molecule compounds to effectively treat them. Our goal is to rapidly develop these compounds as genetically targeted therapies for cancer patients with high unmet medical needs.
Pharma will lose over $236B 2025-2030 when many of their blockbuster drugs go over the 2025-2030 patent cliff. Pharma fill their pipelines with patent-protected clinical stage assets from small biotech companies. Minerva has exactly what pharma is looking for: 1) novel cancer immunotherapy (CAR T) to treat 75% of cancers in clinical trials; and 2) ADCs in the near-term pipeline that are wiping out breast, lung and pancreatic cancers in animal studies. Minerva’s 1st generation CAR T for metastatic breast cancers that had failed up to 14 previous therapies produced tumor shrinkage and extended life by an average of 11.3 months, with no to minimal side effects. A follow-on trial of 2nd generation CAR T that lives in the patient for years is scheduled to open Q1 2024 for breast, lung and prostate cancers.
NanoSpun is a global pioneer and frontrunner in the biotech, advanced materials and bioprinting spaces. We are leading the way to a whole new generation of cell-based products and solutions through the intelligent application of NanoSpun biological fabrics.
NeuroOne Medical Technologies Corporation (NASDAQ:NMTC) is developing and commercializing medical devices leveraging its platform electrode technology to diagnose and treat debilitating neurological conditions. The Company’s novel thin-film electrode technology has shown competitive advantages in its flexibility, precision, cost, and robust manufacturing. The Company’s platform technology includes the development of products for neurological monitoring, neural stimulation, and ablation of nervous tissue in the brain with additional products currently under development including a sEEG-based drug delivery system designed to deliver drugs directly to the brain with the ability to record neurological activity before, during and after drug delivery.
NovAb is developing a new class of monoclonal antibodies (“mAbs”), variable lymphocyte receptors (“VLRs”), discovered by our founding scientist, Dr. Max Cooper (Emory University). VLRs are the antigen receptors of the adaptive immune system of jawless vertebrates (lamprey and hagfish), which last shared a common ancestor with humans and other mammals over 500 million years ago, are composed of a variable number of highly diverse leucine rich repeat (“LRR”) structural motifs, and are the only known antibodies and immune receptors that are not immunoglobulins (Igs). The binding site of VLR antibodies is entirely contained within a single polypeptide and is a rigid beta-sheet concave surface. Our premise in forming NovAb is that the evolutionary distance of jawless vertebrates and the distinctive structure of their VLR binding site versus that of conventional Ig antibodies would be a source of specificities distinct from those accessed with Ig antibodies. This expectation is now well-confirmed. NovAb’s lead therapeutic products are chimeric antigen receptor (“CAR”) and bispecific mAb T cell-directed immunotherapies that utilize a VLR mAb, Nov.MM3, that binds a novel target uniquely expressed by plasma cells (PC) and PC tumors (multiple myeloma (MM) cancers). These T cell-directed therapies have demonstrated potent and specific PC depletion and anti-tumor activity with in vitro and in vivo MM disease models. We have initiated a Seed financing with a target raise of $3 million to support advancement of NovAb’s T cell-directed therapies to cGMP manufacture and IND-enabling pharmacology/toxicity studies for MM and antibody-mediated autoimmune diseases.
Olfactive Biosolutions is using proprietary formulations of food molecules to activate ectopic receptors in the body to replace pharmaceuticals and treat myriad diseases. This approach promises the ability to bring health and wellness to large parts of the globe. Food molecules are cheap and plentiful. We have been eating them for millennia. Unlike pharmaceuticals, they have few side effects and can be consumed on a long-term basis.
PartitionBio, a Cambridge (UK) based R&D start-up company, is developing proprietary biomolecular condensates for medical applications. The company’s current focus is the use of their non-viral formulations for the intracellular delivery of therapeutic cargos, including antibodies, nucleic acids, and other biologics. The company vision is to enable & accelerate the development of medicines for currently undruggable targets, and the implementation of next-generation therapeutic modalities such as gene therapy and nucleic acid-based vaccination. As leading experts in the manipulation of biomolecular condensates, PartitionBio is also developing further biomedical applications of their technology in the field of sub-cellular drug targeting.
Pebble Life Science has discovered a natural product oncology platform with strong signals in several cancer cell lines, and in vivo studies, in partnership with MD Anderson Cancer Center. We are raising a $5M Seed round to progress our lead drug through preclinical studies for a pre-IND meeting with the FDA, to enable human clinical trials. Pebble is at an inflection point in value prior to human clinical trials.
The Repair Biotechnologies platform can reverse atherosclerosis, the age-related buildup of obstructive fatty plaques in blood vessels that is the direct cause of 27% of all human mortality. The Repair Biotechnologies therapy produces a 17% reduction in atherosclerotic plaque volume in the aortic root, coupled with dramatic increase in exercise capacity following six weeks of treatment in mouse models. This is a much larger and much faster improvement than is possible with statins or other current treatments. Statins have been shown to produce, on average, near zero regression of plaque, even after 18+ months of treatment. Our approach represents an enormous advance over that standard of care.
Sanegene, a Boston-based clinical-stage biotech company established in 2021 by leading experts in RNA interference (RNAi), is advancing the next generation of RNAi therapeutics through its innovative LEAD™ (Ligand and Enhancer Assisted Delivery) platforms. Our rapidly expanding RNAi portfolio features three clinical-stage assets, two in the IND stage, and several others in preclinical development. We are primarily focused on addressing obesity and metabolic disorders by directly targeting metabolic pathways. This strategy aims to enhance the sustainability and quality of weight loss, with the potential to significantly transform the field of obesity treatment.
A leader in red blood cell-based therapeutics, Scarlet was born out of more than a decade of research at the University of Bristol and the learnings from the RESTORE clinical study. Scarlet’s technologies aim to address efficacy and manufacturing issues faced by others in the field by ensuring a high level of therapeutic proteins inside the therapeutic red blood cells (tRBCs), enabling more efficacious and thus effective therapies and improving the manufacturing by being able to generate the tRBCs from cell lines rather than from donated stem cells.
SciTech Development is a Specialty Pharmaceutical Company dedicated to advancing breakthrough cancer treatments. We have developed a powerful, new Drug Delivery Platform (SDP) that will revolutionize how safe and promising, yet challenged drugs, can be delivered to kill cancer. SciTech has developed our first, patented drug, ST-001-nanoFenretinide that combines SDP and the drug fenretinide as a broadly applicable anticancer drug. SciTech is in Phase Ia clinical trials.
SFA Therapeutics is a platform-based biotech with a novel platform focused on chronic inflammatory diseases and cancer. SFA has nine drugs, to treat autoimmune disease, hepatitis, MASH and liver cancer, pancreatic cancer, uveitis, long-Covid, and to prevent relapse recurrence in CLL & AML. We are a spinout from Temple University in Philadelphia. Our lead drug, SFA-002, has just completed a Phase 1b clinical trial in psoriasis, with World-class results. This is a proof of concept for a novel oral drug that is patented to treat autoimmune disease. A second drug, SFA-001, is ready to enter clinical trials in MASH and fibrosis. A third drug, SFA-009, has shown significant activity as an adjunct therapeutic in the treatment of pancreatic cancer.
Stingray is in the clinic developing the next major breakthrough in immune oncology. Our oral tablet drug,SR-8541A, is completing its single agent dose escalation trial showing more response than any other ENPP1 inhibitor in innate immune stimulation. Designed to be used with checkpoint inhibitors to activate both arms of immunity to fight cancer, SR-8541A will start its metastatic microsatellite stable colorectal cancer study this fall. Standard of care is only 10% ORR and 5-year survival only 13% with all the cancer therapies available today. We aim to set a new standard of care, and the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas is a fan of our chances, awarding Stingray a $14M award supporting Stingray 2024-2026. We expect to exit in 2026-2027 and are actively seeking investors to participate with us in this exciting program to make a big difference in cancer treatment of several terrible diseases.
Synfini, Inc., a privately held Menlo Park, California-based company, is a pioneer in agile chemistry. Its advanced, automated molecular discovery platform is transforming drug discovery through integrated neuro-symbolic AI, discovery-focused robotic automation, and world-class chemistry data. The patented Synfini platform includes automated chemical synthesis technologies from SRI International. As a commercial enterprise Synfini will provide accelerated molecular discovery to drug hunters and. pharmaceutical companies worldwide.
Tikva Allocell develops off-the-shelf CAR-T cell therapy for the treatment of solid tumors. The company’s technology is built upon the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)-specific T cell platform that has been demonstrated to be safe with minimal graft-versus-host disease in the allogeneic setting. The EBV-specific T cell is armored with modified SerpinB9 to increase the cell persistence and anti-tumor efficacy. Tikva’s lead product is the B7-H3-targeting EBV-specific T cell that has shown promising data in eliminating various types of solid tumors including lung, breast, gastric and colorectal cancers in preclinical studies.
UbiVac is a clinical stage biotech engaged in research and development, and manufacture, of therapeutic immune activators, vaccines and cellular immunotherapies to combat cancer. Used in combination with other immunotherapies, UbiVac’s patented technologies have proven highly effective at improving survival and apparent cure in difficult to treat animal cancers (PMID: 27874054; PMID: 31747946; PMID: 22068657). UbiVac believes that the explanation for this effectiveness lies in several high impact publications from 2021 identifying a previously unknown class of shared non-mutated cancer neoantigens that make up as much as 25% of the antigens on cancer cells (PMID: 33740418; PMID: 33691108; PMID: 34663921). As the non-mutated shared cancer neoantigens are short-lived proteins, the majority are expected to be contained in UbiVac’s DPV-001. Importantly, these findings help explain why UbiVac’s immunotherapy provided cross-protective cancer immunity in preclinical models, something that had not been observed in 50 years of study (PMID: 21810919). These remarkable studies raised the possibility of off-the-shelf Universal Cancer Vaccines (PMID: 33852826). UbiVac has completed an NCI-funded phase I/II adjuvant trial of its lead agent, DPV-001. This trial met its endpoints, determined safety, identified drug formulation, and demonstrated proof-of-concept. Based on these data UbiVac partnered with the Providence Cancer Institute and Incyte on a first-in-human immunotherapy trial of UbiVac’s DPV-001, anti-GITR and anti-PD-1 for advanced HNSCC. The first patients were treated in Q4 2021, and preliminary immunological monitoring data will be presented at AACR in April 2022. UbiVac also has a pipeline of cellular therapies under development.
Viropeutics is a spin-out from George Mason University focused on developing HIV cure technologies. Persistence of HIV reservoirs prevents a cure. Viropeutics’ goal is to use a proprietary HIV Rev-dependent targeting technology to diminish viral reservoirs to achieve a cure or functional cure. Viropeutics is located in the BioHealth Capital Region of the Washington DC metropolitan.