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Type 1 diabetes (T1D), formerly known as juvenile diabetes, is a chronic, life-threatening disease that affects millions of people worldwide. In the United States, 30,000 new cases are estimated every year with half of those cases diagnosed in young children. Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease in which the patient`s immune system goes awry and attacks and destroys the pancreatic beta cells. Beta cells are responsible for regulating blood sugar (glucose) levels by producing precise amounts of the essential hormone insulin. The discovery of injectable insulin in the 1920s changed T1D from a uniformly fatal disease with a life expectancy of months to one that could be carefully managed for decades through multiple daily blood glucose measurements and insulin injections. However, insulin injections are not a cure and patients face a lifetime of difficult disease management and serious complications including kidney failure, blindness and nerve damage. Despite nearly a century passing since the discovery of insulin, insulin injection remains the only treatment available to patients. Semma Therapeutics was founded to develop transformative therapies for patients who currently depend on insulin injections. Recent work in the laboratory of Professor Douglas Melton led to the discovery of a method to generate billions of functional, insulin-producing beta cells in the laboratory. These cells develop in islet-like clusters grown from stem cells. Initial preclinical work in animal models of diabetes has shown that transplantation of these cells are sufficient to control blood glucose levels. This breakthrough technology has been exclusively licensed to Semma Therapeutics for the development of a cell-based therapy for diabetes. Ongoing research at Semma Therapeutics is focused on combining these proprietary cells with a state-of-the-art cell delivery and immune protection strategy that can protect these cells from the patient`s immune system and allow the beta cells to function as they do in non-diabetic individuals. Implantation of the beta cell-filled device has the potential to provide a true replacement for the missing beta cells in a diabetic patient and would not require patient immunosuppression. Semma Therapeutics is working to bring this new therapeutic option to the clinic and improve the lives of patients with diabetes.
BioStar Ventures continues to build a solid track record as an early-stage, value-added venture investor in disruptive cardiovascular and orthopaedic medical technologies by combining the insight of seasoned venture capitalists with the expertise of world-renowned medical thought leaders in clinical practice to attract unique deal flow, mitigate investment risk, optimize product development, and secure successful exit.
Avanir Pharmaceuticals, Inc. is a biopharmaceutical company focused on bringing innovative medicines to patients with central nervous system disorders of high unmet medical need. As part of our commitment, we have extensively invested in our pipeline and are dedicated to advancing medicines that can substantially improve the lives of patients and their loved ones. Avanir is a subsidiary of Otsuka America, Inc. (OAI), a holding company established in the U.S. in 1989. OAI is wholly owned by Otsuka Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. The Otsuka Group employs approximately 42,000 people globally, and its products are available in more than 80 countries worldwide.
Epinex Diagnostics is a Tustin, CA-based company in the Healthcare, Pharmaceuticals, and Biotech sector.
Pivotal Therapeutics is a publicly traded (OTCQX:PVTTF; CSE:PVO), specialty pharmaceutical company with a focus on cardiovascular disease and overall health. Pivotal Therapeutics` lead product VASCAZEN is a prescription only medical food formulated to meet the dietary Omega-3 deficient needs of patients with cardiovascular disease through elevating Eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) to levels associated with reduced risk of cardiovascular complications. OMAZEN is a pharmaceutical grade Omega-3 providing over 90% pure Omega-3 in each capsule for the maintenance of good health. OMAZEN® is a patented product available for sale and distribution in Canada.