Cellens Inc
Diagnosing and monitoring bladder cancer recurrence can make a big difference in patients' lives. By leveraging the nanoscale cell bio-physical markers mapping and machine learning, Cellens offers an accurate and noninvasive bladder cancer detection test suite to support physicians' decisions and improve patients' quality of life.
Flavocure Biotech Inc.
Flavocure Biotech's efforts to develop Caflanone for pancreatic cancer have the potential to add a new option to combat this deadly disease. Caflanone's unique potential stems from its potent activity against CSF1-R and other kinases and oncogenic factors implicated in pancreatic cancer onset and progression. The efficacy demonstrated in animal models, particularly the ability to target metastasized tumors by boosting immune function makes Caflanone a potential candidate for pancreatic cancer. Combined with the use of SRB delivery technology for targeted and sustained delivery, they expect the molecule to be more effective without causing any off-target safety concerns compared to currently used drugs.
LizarBio Therapeutics
LizarBio Therapeutics is a startup that develops cell therapies based on pluripotent stem cells. They are currently focused on developing therapies for patients with heart and neurological problems. More specifically, congestive heart failure (CHF) and Rett syndrome. In the future, they plan to expand operations to other areas such as ophthalmology, endocrinology and etc., always producing authentic human cells on a scale.
QurCan Therapeutics Inc.
QurCan Therapeutics is developing the next-generation nanoparticle drug delivery technology "TERP" that overcomes the challenges of immunogenicity, stability, and liver accumulation faced by existing lipid and liposomal nanoparticle platforms while offering flexible payload capacity (siRNA/mRNA, antibodies, and proteins), antibody-guided targeting, and tunable brain penetration. Their lead asset "T-MX", a TERP-enabled therapeutic, is a first-in-class nanomedicine that modulate tumor microenvironment by overcoming hypoxia (lack of oxygen) in solid tumors and turns cold tumors hot. The agent is actively transported into cancer cells, where it selectively catalyzes oxygen generation, which in turn, effectively reverses hypoxia and boosts tumor immunogenicity, and improves the treatment outcome of cancer therapies.
SYTE.bio
SYTE.bio is a cutting-edge preclinical stage Synthetic Biology company focused on the discovery, development, and commercialization of precision synthetic DNA & RNA-based therapeutics. The company has developed simple, yet powerful, Linear DNA and Circular RNA platforms to enable the development of innovative and disruptive Vaccines, Immunotherapies, and Gene Therapies and potentially bring several future breakthroughs to patients worldwide. SYTE.bio has proprietary novel engineered Linear DNA and Circular RNA platforms which enable the development and validation of a myriad of therapeutics and vaccines, to prevent and cure diseases with precision, at the cellular and molecular level. The company is leveraging both platforms to develop Oncology therapies, Vaccines and Gene Therapies which have the potential to address a wide spectrum of genetic and non-genetic disorders.
Cerberus Therapeutics
Cerberus Therapeutics is pioneering an alpaca-derived single domain antibody fragment (VHH)-based platform to create novel therapeutics capable of immune modulation. Their initial programs focus on developing therapies for several autoimmune disorders, as well as tolerance against immune reactions to Adeno-Associated Virus ("AAV") vectors. By incorporating genetic and biochemical protein modification strategies, they have shown that just a single dose of these engineered VHHs achieve robust in vivo efficacy in preclinical mouse models of several autoimmune diseases including multiple sclerosis, type I diabetes, and rheumatoid arthritis, both prophylactically and therapeutically. The intellectual property in their possession covers the development and application of these engineered VHHs for treating autoimmune diseases and other immune-mediated conditions.
Ernest Pharmaceuticals
Ernest Pharmaceuticals is engineering bacteria to treat solid tumors. Ernest's focus is on the critical unmet need to develop effective therapies for pancreas, liver and ovarian tumors. Every year, almost 70,000 patients get diagnosed with these cancers and their prognosis is poor. These tumor types are hard-to-treat because they are often diagnosed at a late stage and have low 5-year survival rates. There are nocurative treatments, and immune checkpoint inhibitors, which have been successful in melanoma and lung cancer, show little efficacy here. Using the patented BacID delivery platform, Ernest Pharmaceuticals is creating new therapies to treat these tumors.
Guardian Bio
Guardian bio is building a platform to train the body to fight diseases, starting with cancer. Your immune system is your body's best weapon and defense against cancer. It is only when it is overcome that cancer develops into a life-threatening disease. Dendritic cells sit at the helm of the immune system, directing and dictating immune responses. Data has shown dendritic cells are often dysfunctional in cancer patients, and that this dysfunction is a bottleneck for other therapies. Guardian Bio's approach is focused on creating a product that drives anti-tumor activity by eliciting a diverse yet targeted immune response. They take stem cells from cancer patients, turn them into dendritic cells specially trained against that patient's tumor, and re-introduce them back into the body. This will revitalize the immune system and give it the kickstart it needs to fight - and win - against cancer.
Spheric Bio
Spheric Bio's mission is stroke prevention in patients with non-valvular atrial fibrillation at risk of stroke and ineligible for blood thinners. Current occluders for the left atrial appendage in the heart (the LAA) are only ideal for < 10% of the population. They expect to expand the treatable population so that all patients can be eligible for a minimally invasive procedure with a versatile biopolymeric implant made from granular hydrogels that does not require any blood thinners, and does not lead to tissue damage or erosion. Two female professors, Prof. Roche (MIT) and Prof. Lewis (Harvard) have joined forces to commercialize this intracardiac device that can be transformative for interventional cardiology. Recent winners of the inaugural MIT Future Founders competition, they are looking to accelerate their company and proceed down the translational path. This system has the potential to revolutionize current LAA occlusion with a biopolymeric, atraumatic solution.
