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Promosome is a synthetic biology company founded to commercialize the discoveries of the late Nobel Laureate, Dr. Gerald M. Edelman, and colleague Dr. Vincent P. Mauro of The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) in La Jolla, CA. Leveraging Dr. Edelman’s and Mauro's unparalleled expertise in the area of mRNA translation and the resulting technologies they pioneered, Promosome offers technology licensing opportunities to biotherapeutic and bioindustrial companies seeking to dramatically improve efficiencies in expression, secretion, and potentially biotherapeutic safety and dose tolerance.

In March 2014, GEHC and Promosome executed an agreement to license a subset of Promosome’s initial technology suite in support of their mammalian cell line development ambitions.

Promosome operates a developmental center in the Torrey Pines section of San Diego which focuses on expanding its mRNA translation-based toolset as well as identifying and developing a pipeline of proprietary proteins which can be differentiated by their unique manufacturing attributes (higher yields, greater homogeneity, etc.) and quite possibly by their safety profile in clinical use.

The Office of Translational Alliances and Coordination (OTAC) at the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute supports the development of innovative biomedical products to address unmet medical needs in the heart, lung, blood and sleep fields.  OTAC is home to the NHLBI's small business programs (SBIR and STTR) and the NIH Centers for Accelerated Innovations.

The NHLBI's SBIR and STTR programs comprise one of the largest sources of early-stage capital for U.S. small business, acting as engines of innovation for developing and commercializing novel technologies and products that aid in the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of heart, lung, blood, and sleep diseases and disorders. The NHLBI provides grant and contract funding opportunities and resources to support small businesses performing research and development on technologies related to the mission of NHLBI. With an annual budget of $85M, the NHLBI funds about 200 companies each year through the Institute's small business programs.

The NIH Centers for Accelerated Innovations accelerate translation of scientific discovery into commercial products that improve health for patients. This unique public-private partnership is changing the way discoveries with scientific and commercial potential are identified and developed.

DavosPharma’s corporate offering covers all the activities required to get a drug from conception to commercialization. DavosPharma has been filling this need since 1972, serving the pharmaceutical and life science market by providing discovery chemistry & biology, pre-clinical development, and all required CMC activities including custom synthesis of organic molecules, custom dosage formulation, and custom manufacturing of cGMP intermediates, APIs, and drug product. 

IR2Dx Company Overview:

IR2Dx has developed a proprietary, breakthrough analysis and reporting system for multi-marker diagnostic test panels, to provide highly personalized treatment strategies for patients with Type 2 diabetes.  While control of glucose levels remains an important factor in the treatment of the disease, the IR2Dx platform evaluates the individual disease pathways for each patient, providing critical information regarding multiple markers and their overall pattern, all of which contribute to management of underlying disease.  This information can then be used by physicians to guide treatment decisions to deliver precision medicine in diabetes. 

Today, there are approximately 382 million people with diabetes in the world, and this number is expected to grow to 592 million by 2035.  The worldwide available market for early detection and drug response diabetes diagnostics is greater than $20 billion.  IR2Dx can enter the market within the current reimbursement and regulatory environments, and is ready to launch its first products in H1 2015 through commercial laboratories.

The IR2Dx platform provides personalized treatment information and recommendations to physicians based on a proprietary decision tree algorithm, greatly enhancing the clinical utility of a laboratory report.  Existing reimbursement levels for the panel markers in the U.S. and key international markets adequately cover the addition of the IR2Dx analysis and reporting. 

The platform is a software-based decision analysis tool. The analysis is performed on results from commercially available diagnostic tests run using standard laboratory bench top systems, requiring no tailored equipment, no custom design of the test system itself, and no capital investment.  Lab technicians upload the multi-marker panel testing results to the IR2Dx proprietary web portal to access the company’s decision support tool analysis product. In the initial commercialization phase, each laboratory will have a specific customized software product, and will pay for each report on a per-use basis. 

In the current U.S. regulatory environment for such products, with “health management IT functionalities”, such as the IR2Dx analysis and reporting system, near-term requirements for premarket review are unlikely, though the FDA may give additional guidance at any time. The IR2Dx platform is protected by a strong and broad intellectual property portfolio combining substantial data and know-how with issued patents in the U.S. and Europe. The company’s issued patents carry claims for use of its analysis platform and combination of markers for treatment guidance “with all glucose lowering drugs.”

 The company anticipates launch of the proprietary IR2Dx platform in H1 2015, introducing its first clinical decision support products through commercial laboratories. 

Life Science Angels Inc was founded in 2004 and is based in Sunnyvale CA. The group makes early-stage equity investments in a wide range of life science companies. Life Science Angels invests primarily in California but is open to investing out of state provided a round is being syndicated with a local angel group. Life Science Angels does not rule out investing outside the USA but has yet to do so. The group invests as individuals and allocation sizes are therefore highly varied but are usually of about $2-$6, Life Science Angels usually invests in rounds seeking $3 million or less. The group is interested in syndicating rounds with other angel groups.

Naegis, based in Vancouver, British Columbia, is developing novel, small-molecule leukotirene synthesis inhibitors (LTSIs) for serious inflammatory conditions.  The Company is currently focused on two proprietary programs: 

o topical and oral therapy for Uveitis, a condition that is responsible for 10% of legal blindness in the US and for which there are limited therapeutic options. 

o oral therapy for Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD),  a serious lung disease with increasing rates of mortality.

Naegis has developed a large library of LTSIs that are potent inhibitors of either 5-LO or LTA4H.  The Company is currently identifying a lead compound for selection for futher development for ocular disease, in particular Uveitis.

The Company is also advancing a series of compounds that are novel structures and highly selective and potent inhibitors of LTA4H, which are expected to be developed as new therpaies for COPD

Naegis is seeking pharmaceutical partners and capital investment to advance more rapidly their novel programs.