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Symic is developing a new category of therapeutics that offer an exciting and biologically innovative approach to treating disease. While it is clear that cells play an important role in tissue inflammation and regeneration, it is also known that the extracellular matrix (ECM) plays an equally critical role in maintaining healthy tissue. The ECM is the non-cellular component of the body’s tissues, and proteoglycans are important structural and functional macromolecules native to the ECM that are known to protect against tissue degradation and promote healing during illness or injury. Recognizing the importance of proteoglycans in many acute and chronic disease states, Symic developed a library of proprietary, ECM-specific compounds that mimic the protective effect of natural proteoglycans. For controlled injuries (e.g. incisions, balloon angioplasty), Symic’s ECM-specific compounds allow for local application, enhancing their ability to attenuate inflammation and reduce scarring only at the site of injury. In disease states known for chronic inflammation involving the ECM (e.g. cartilage in osteoarthritis), Symic’s technology can disrupt the cycle of degradation-inflammation by directly targeting and protecting the injured ECM. The ECM plays a critical role in many acute and chronic disease states, many of which have limited or no effective therapeutic options. Symic plans to advance its compounds in a variety of therapeutic areas with unmet clinical needs.
We are entering a new era of medicine, where cancer is treated with cellular therapies: living, smart, targeted drugs. While enormous strides have been made, especially in hematologic cancers, the full promise of these therapies still lies ahead. Cell-based immunotherapies have yet to show substantial benefit in solid tumors, which represent the vast majority of cancers. Our goal is nothing less than to develop curative cell-based therapies for solid tumor cancers.
Chelsea Therapeutics is a Charlotte, NC-based company in the Healthcare, Pharmaceuticals, and Biotech sector.
Epitopix is a Willmar, MN-based company in the Healthcare, Pharmaceuticals, and Biotech sector.
Medicenna is a clinical stage immunotherapy company focused on the development of novel, highly selective versions of IL-2, IL-4 and IL-13 Superkines and first in class Empowered Superkines. Medicenna`s long-acting IL-2 Superkine, MDNA11, is a next-generation IL-2 with superior CD122 binding without CD25 affinity thereby preferentially stimulating cancer killing effector T cells and NK cells. Medicenna`s early-stage BiSKITs™ program, (Bifunctional SuperKine ImmunoTherapies) is designed to enhance the ability of Superkines to treat immunologically “cold” tumors. Medicenna`s IL-4 Empowered Superkine, MDNA55, has been studied in 5 clinical trials including a Phase 2b trial for recurrent GBM, the most common and uniformly fatal form of brain cancer. MDNA55 has obtained Fast-Track and Orphan Drug status from the FDA and FDA/EMA, respectively.