Peter Heinecke
Xalud Therapeutics is developing novel, non-opioid therapies for the treatment of neuropathic pain and osteoarthritis. Our lead product, XT-101, has shown exceptional efficacy in the leading rodent models of pain and in canine patients with neuropathic pain and osteoarthritis. XT-101 has an excellent safety profile -- it does not cause sedation, dizziness, numbness, addiction or tolerance. 7 and 28 day GLP toxicology studies have been completed with excellent results. Xalud intends to file an IND for a Phase I/IIa trial in mid-2015 and, pending funding, initiate clinical trials thereafter.
Xalud's approach to treating pain is fundamentally different than conventional approaches. XT-101 causes the body to produce the natural anti-inflammatory IL-10. In neuropathic pain, the use of this broad spectrum anti-inflammatory reduces inflammation around the spinal cord and reduces aberant pain signaling. In gold-standard rodent models, a single injection of XT-101 completely eliminates neuropathic pain for 12 weeks. We have also tested XT-101 in canine patients with severe osteoarthritis that has been resistant to standard treatments. In these patients, XT-101 has provided long lasting pain relief resulting in dramatically increased mobility and activity levels and increased joint flexibility.
To date, Xalud's efforts have been supported by over $6 million of grant funding from the NIH, the DOD, and disease foundations. We seek to raise $6 to $10 Million to fund our initial clinical trial or trials. These will be placebo controlled Phase I/IIa trials in actual patients. Because XT-101 has an extended duration, we expect that these trials will provide the safety, efficacy and biomarker data necessary to support a robust Phase II program.
Xalud Therapeutics, Inc.
Chief Business OfficerLuke Helm
Rapid Development of Injection Molded Medical Devices
From Concept Through Transfer-to-Manufacturing
Symbient specializes in engineering research and development, prototyping and design-for-manufacturing of innovative medical devices that use injection molded components. Our highly experienced team consists of mechanical and biomedical engineers, industrial designers, machinists and molding technicians. They leverage our in-house rapid prototyping, and prototype tooling fabrication and injection molding to create proven, manufacturable designs with unmatched speed, efficiency and precision. These designs make up our deep portfolio of over 300 successful devices that have collectively generated hundreds of millions of dollars. They include FDA Class I, II and III devices, developed under our ISO 13485 certified quality management system.
Our Services Include:
- Concept Development
- Development Engineering
- Design-for-Manufacturing
- Industrial Design
- Project Rescue
- Design Control per IOS 13485
- Finite Element Analysis (FEA)
- Design Verification Testing
- Test Method Development
- Transfer to Manufacturing
Our In-House Capabilities and Expertise Include:
- Stereolithography (SLA) Prototyping
- CNC Machining / Fabrication
- Prototype Mold Fabrication
- Prototype Injection Molding of Devices for Testing, Trials and Studies
- Liquid Injection Molded (LIM) Silicone Prototype Molding
- Product Reliability Testing
- Plastics Assembly Expertise: Ultrasonic and Laser Welding, Heat Sealing, Pressure Sensitive Adhesives, Swaging, Snap Fits, Press Fits, Interlocks.
- Speed: Prototype Molds in as little as 1 week and Modifications in as little as 1 Day
- Material Selection Expertise, Research and Testing to Ensure All Product Requirements Are Met.
Our Portfolio Includes:
- Diagnostics / Molecular Diagnostics
- Sample collection / preparation
- Life Sciences / Microfluidics
- OTC Consumer products
- Respiratory
- Surgical devices and clinical tools
- Drug Delivery
Symbient Product Development
Director of Business DevelopmentHannah Hensel
Brio Device, LLC is a medical device company and spin-out of the University of Michigan Medical Innovation Center based in Ann Arbor, MI. Brio develops airway management devices and intubation instruments.
PROBLEM: High Intubation Failure
There are 20M+ intubations performed in the US every year. Depending on setting and skill of the clinician, failure rates range from 2% - 40% resulting in approximately 2,000,000 intubation failures every year. Intubation, the procedure to insert a plastic tube into the trachea, requires significant expertise and experience to do well. With current products in the market, the tube often is inserted multiple times before it is properly placed, resulting in damage to the patient such as broken teeth, torn vocal cords, or insertion into the stomach leading to aspiration and pneumonia. Three main factors affect intubation success rates: the user’s experience level, having directional control of the tube during insertion, and continuous visualization appreciated in bronchoscopes. Clinicians need a single go-to device which is appropriate for use both in routine intubation and difficult airway cases offering guidance, maneuverability and visualization necessary to be successful. Failed intubation is the most common preventable cause of trauma-related deaths. Approximately 180,000 deaths per year list complications associated with failed intubation.
SOLUTION: Brio’s Articulating & Video Stylets
Brio is introducing a suite of products intended to improve intubation success rates for planned and emergent intubations, minimizing reliance on clinician skill for success. The products range from disposable mechanical devices to devices with imbedded software providing anatomic image recognition guidance for the clinician. The devices have three critical elements to assist users in locating the trachea and maneuvering the endotracheal tube.
1. Articulating tip with thumb-controlled steering
2. Continuous visualization
3. Visual guidance software
BUSINESS MODEL
Brio’s core competencies are R&D, product development, sales and marketing of medical devices. Projections are built on three revenue streams: two disposable stylets (one with and one without a camera) and a reusable video display. Brio has an agreement with a manufacturing partner to facilitate design history files, regulatory compliance, manufacturing and customer service.
FUNDING & MILESTONES
Brio has received $815,000 funding, including $690K in non-dilutive grants and $125k in convertible notes. The Company has received Small Business Investigational Research (SBIR) Grants from the NIH.
Brio Device, LLC
CEOAmir Heshmatpour
AFH Holding & Advisory
Founder & Managing DirectorJulia Hill
Bionic Vision Technologies is the commercial entity which holds license to the patents around technology developed by Bionic Vision Australia.
Bionic Vision Australia brings together Australia’s leading experts in medical bionics to develop a bionic eye to restore vision to people with retinitis pigmentosa and age-related macular degeneration. A prototype device has been successfully implanted into three patients for two years demonstrating outstanding safety and efficacy.
Our capabilities which differentiate us from competitors include:
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Novel surgical techniques providing greater safety and stability od wide view devices
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World leading, pioneering vision processing software
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Unique arrangement and stimulation strategies of the electrodes
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Unique diamond electrode encapsulation for the high acuity device
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World leading psychophysics laboratory for assessing functionality of the devices
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Unprecedented expertise and proven track record in preclinical studies
Our development portfolio consists of wide view devices which aim to increase mobility and independence of patients and a high acuity device which will allow patients the ability to read large letters and recognise faces
Bionic Vision Technologies
Johanna Holldack
Telormedix SA
CEOChris Hollowood
Syncona Partners, founded in 2012, is an evergreen investment firm based in London, UK. The firm is an independent subsidiary of the Wellcome Trust who invested the initial £200m capitalization. The firm is mandated to invest in companies with the potential to make major breakthroughs in healthcare. The investment size will usually range from £1M – £20M per company. The firm seeks to create sustainable, profitable businesses, to support them with capital over the long term, for the benefit of patients, and to hold an ownership position to create value for the Wellcome Trust. The firm is actively screening new investment opportunities.
Syncona Partners
PartnerCarl Horn
JBI is a Midwest-based biotechnology company driven to develop a new class of therapies to treat patients with Alzheimer’s disease and other neurodegenerative diseases.
JBI’s unique approach is able to lower the production of Amyloid Beta (Aβ), phosphorylated Tau (pTau) and toxic intracellular Aβ aggregates. Our passion is to develop a therapy to restore the patient’s lifespan and improve patient quality of life.
JBI is focused on further developing its lead compound, JBI-009, based on the strength of compelling preclinical safety and efficacy results to date.
JBI’s approach represents a new wave in thinking about the treatment of AD. Currently available drugs treat disease symptoms, rather than its suspected cause, and do so with limited success. Most drugs in late-stage clinical development are attempting to address a likely cause of the disease, the accumulation of Aβ, by potently inhibiting the enzyme responsible for Aβ production. As this enzyme has other important biological functions, this approach has seen early failures because of unacceptable side effects. JBI's approach is unique in that it modulates the production of this enzyme rather than inhibits its activity. JBI’s approach is expected to restore enzyme activity and Aβ production to normal levels with a favorable safety advantage.
JBI’s technology is also unique in that it targets cellular machinery within the Endoplasmic Reticulum (ER). Most drug developers have focused on modifying activity that occurs either on the cell membrane or within the cell nucleus or cytosol. JBI is one of the first, if not the first, to successfully target activity within the ER. The discoveries employed by JBI have produced a lead compound that affects the enzyme responsible for controlling the rate-limiting step in Aβ production, penetrates the blood brain barrier, and shows no toxicity in IND feasibility safety studies. In addition, work has begun on next generation compounds. This ER-focused approach provides platform potential for future therapies to treat additional significant unmet medical needs.