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Vitality has developed a new class of cannabinoid prodrugs (cannabosides), which enable selective delivery of THC and cannabidiol (CBD) to the gastrointestinal tract. Site-specific delivery could enable potent local therapeutic effects while reducing or avoiding the systemic delivery of THC to the brain. Currently, the psychoactivity of THC limits the dose of cannabinoids that can be used for treatment of pain and inflammation. Studies have shown that the cannabinoid system is a potent mediator of pain relief and inflammation, as studies have shown that cannabinoid drugs can in some cases be far more potent than opiates for pain relief, and far more potent than aspirin or corticosteroids for providing anti-inflammatory effects. For example, cannabinoid drugs have been shown to be nearly 10 times as potent as morphine for neuropathic pain relief. Studies have also shown they can be 20 times as potent as aspirin, and twice as potent as corticosteroids for treating inflammation. But currently, the “elephant in the room” remains, which is that the desired potent effects cannot be achieved when high doses of THC enter the bloodstream and brain. Patients are forced to limit their doses, so targeted administration is critical. Our solution goes to the heart of this issue and offers an alternative means to increase the beneficial dosage, right at the site of disease – where it matters most, and relegates the psychoactive nature of the drug to a manageable side effect.
Kalypsys, Inc. is a Del Mar, CA-based company in the Healthcare, Pharmaceuticals, and Biotech sector.
Pieris Pharmaceuticals is a clinical stage biotechnology company that discovers and develops Anticalin-based drugs to target validated disease pathways in a unique and transformative way. Our pipeline includes immuno-oncology multi-specifics tailored for the tumor micro-environment, an inhaled Anticalin to treat uncontrolled asthma and a half-life-optimized Anticalin to treat anemia. Proprietary to Pieris, Anticalin proteins are a novel class of therapeutics validated in the clinic and by partnerships with leading pharmaceutical companies. Pieris is listed on the NASDAQ and trades under the ticker symbol PIRS.
We are a clinical-stage immuno-oncology company specializing in the development of next-generation T cell-based immunotherapies for the treatment of hematological malignancies and solid tumor indications. Marker`s cell therapy technology is based on the selective expansion of non-engineered, tumor-specific T cells that recognize tumor associated antigens (i.e. tumor targets) and kill tumor cells expressing those targets. Once infused into patients, this population of T cells attacks multiple tumor targets and acts to activate the patient`s immune system to produce broad spectrum anti-tumor activity. Because Marker does not genetically engineer its T cells, when compared to current engineered CAR-T and TCR-based approaches, its products (i) are significantly less expensive and easier to manufacture, (ii) appear to be markedly less toxic, and (iii) are associated with meaningful clinical benefit. As a result, Marker believes its portfolio of T cell therapies has a compelling therapeutic product profile, as compared to current gene-modified CAR-T and TCR-based therapies. Marker is also advancing a number of innovative peptide- and gene-based immuno-therapeutics for the treatment of cancer and metastatic disease, including our Folate Receptor Alpha program (TPIV200) for breast and ovarian cancers and our HER2/neu+ peptide antigen program (TPIV100/110) in Phase II clinical trials. In parallel, we are developing a proprietary DNA expression technology named PolyStart™ to improve the ability of the cellular immune system to recognize and destroy diseased cells.
Unum is a Cambridge, MA-based cellular therapeutics company ushering in a new wave of innovation in cancer immunotherapy. Unum has built an antibody-coupled T-cell receptor (ACTR) platform that, when combined with tumor-specific antibodies, directs an individual’s cytotoxic T-lymphocytes (CTLs) to kill tumor cells. In contrast to other approaches that hit a single target and treat a narrow set of tumors, Unum’s approach is not restricted by antigens and may have applications for treating many types of cancers. Our lead program based on ACTR technology is expected to enter Phase I clinical testing soon to assess safety and efficacy in certain forms of leukemia and lymphoma. In parallel, we are actively seeking partners interested in using the ACTR technology to arm novel proprietary antibodies with a T-cell to improve their therapeutic potential. Working initially to pre-clinically validate antibody-ACTR combinations with partners, we expect to rapidly advance multiple proprietary combinations into clinical testing within the next few years.