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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.
PNP Therapeutics is a Birmingham, AL-based company in the Healthcare, Pharmaceuticals, and Biotech sector.
Islet Sciences is a clinical stage biotechnology company engaged in the research, development, and commercialization of new medicines and technologies for the treatment and diagnosis of metabolic disease and related indications where there is significant measurable unmet medical need. The rising incidence of obesity is associated with many obesity-related health complications, including cardiovascular disease, diabetes, hyperlipidemia, hypertension, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease/steatohepatitis (NAFLD/NASH). This constellation is also recognized as the metabolic syndrome and is characterized by underlying insulin resistance. These various diseases have interrelated risk factors and markers, such that often treatment of one disease may allow new therapies and opportunities for treatment in one of these related indications. Our focused effort to develop new therapies and related diagnostics for metabolic related diseases establishes us as a recognized leader in a large and growing market.
Athenix Corp. is a Durham, NC-based company in the Healthcare, Pharmaceuticals, and Biotech sector.
Switch Therapeutics is an emerging preclinical stage biotechnology company pioneering a new type of medicine that integrates nucleic acid nanotechnology and RNA interference (RNAi) science with the goal of treating a range of diseases – affecting the central nervous system and systemic indications – with significant unmet needs. Switch`s novel gene knockdown approach is based on technology developed by renowned researchers in the field of RNA from Caltech, Harvard and City of Hope. Based on the scientific discovery of Switch`s co-founders, the company has developed a novel proprietary platform known as CASi (Conditionally Activated siRNAs) that combines advantageous properties of both single and double-stranded RNAs in a single molecule, allowing for cell selective RNAi activity. To date, Switch has raised $52M in funding through Series A, and the company`s South San Francisco based team has continued to grow as its research has advanced.