Juventas Therapeutics is a private clinical-stage company developing novel therapies for ischemic cardiovascular disease. The company`s lead product` JVS-100` is a non-viral plasmid that encodes for stromal cell-derived factor-1 (SDF-1). SDF-1 has been shown to significantly increase end-organ function following tissue injury by promoting cell survival` recruiting endogenous stem cells to the damaged region` and promoting new blood vessel growth. The SDF-1 repair pathway is well conserved throughout end-organ systems providing the opportunity to impact a broad range of diseases. Target cardiovascular clinical indications address large markets with high unmet medical need and significant market potential. Juventas is currently enrolling multiple clinical trials to test therapy efficacy in heart failure and critical limb ischemia patients.
Leesville Rehabilitation Hospital is a Leesville, LA-based company in the Healthcare, Pharmaceuticals, and Biotech sector.
Protagonist Therapeutics is a biotechnology company pursuing the discovery and development of target oral peptides as well differentiated alternatives to antibodies, and also as new chemical entities (NCEs) against those targets and life threatening diseases for which suitable small molecule and/or biologic options are not available. Peptides typically suffer from limitations of poor proteolytic stability and therefore find scarce therapeutic utility that is largely limited to ‘injectable drugs’. Protagonist’s technology platform is aimed at overcoming these restrictions and expanding the scope of peptide therapeutics to address unmet needs. Specific emphasis is placed on identifying ‘orally stable’ scaffolds and/or engineering oral stability characteristics onto them. The platform has been optimized over the years and involves synergistic integration of rational drug design, diversity oriented computational tools, phage display libraries, recombinant peptide expression, ex vivo oral stability methods, and peptide/medicinal chemistry techniques. This activity has led to the identification of ‘privileged scaffolds’ with favorable oral stability characteristics. Furthermore, the technology platform is well suited both for de novo discovery against a target and optimization around a given chemical starting point.
We operate with a “No Analog” mindset—continually pushing boundaries, navigating new terrain and unleashing fresh thinking. We are committed to seeking better outcomes which compels us to ask questions that have not been asked before or remain unresolved. We are driven by a desire to create meaningful impact across business, health and society to ease the burden on people living with chronic diseases. Intarcia is a rapidly emerging biotech company dedicated to redesigning the treatment, prevention and experience of chronic disease. Our cross-disciplinary teams include forward-thinking scientists and entrepreneurs collaborating in a fast-paced environment redefining the future of medicine.
Bamboo was formed to advance the work of Dr. Richard Jude Samulski, the Director of the Gene Therapy Center at the University of North Carolina (UNC), from the laboratory into human clinical trials where it could meet the requirements for drug approval. Dr. Samulski is a pioneer in the field of gene therapy. Over thirty (30) years ago, Dr. Samulski was the first person to realize the potential to use the adeno-associated virus (AAV) as a vehicle to replace a defective gene with a healthy gene. Since that time, he has re-engineered the naturally occurring virus to target delivery to certain tissues, de-target other tissues, and improve its safety. This has resulted in over twenty (20) patents related to the use of AAV for therapeutic uses. Dr. Samulski continues to lead innovation in the field of vector optimization and AAV re-engineering.