Neurodyn Life Sciences Inc.
Neurodyn Inc. (neurodyn.ca) is a Canadian biotechnology company using a portfolio approach to identifying, validating and developing natural bioactives into both prescription drugs and natural products for the early treatment of Alzheimer's Disease, Parkinson's Disease and other neurodegernative disorders.
Memogain® is a patented pro-drug of an existing major Alzheimer's cognition enhancement drug, offering improved side effect profile and increased bioavailability. Initial Phase 1A results have been positive, showing no significant side effects and improved working memory in young and elderly volunteers. Memogain may qualify for a new US FDA accelterated pathway or Eu equivalent.
Cerbella™ is a treatment for early stage Parkinson's disease which has demonstrated in-vivo pre-clinical efficacy in acute models as well as Neurodyn's proprietary chronic model of Parkinson's disease. A product is expected to launch in Canada, USA or other countries in 2015.
NeuroPro® is a professionally-oriented supplement launched in October 2013, designed for neuroprotection and bansed on 5 years of animal model research.
Nerve Pain Treatment (PN34) is a rare first-in-class neuromodulator, being prepared for a topical orphan status nerve paincondition, with clinical trials to begin in 2015.
Progranulin (ND602) is a novel therapeutic demonstrating in-vivo pre-clinical efficacy in ALS, PD< Alzheimer's disease and Spinal Muscular Atrophy. The company is in its third year of collaboration (late stage pre-clinical evaluation) with the Michael J. Fox Foundation.
Kenneth Cawkell
CEONeuroNetworks Fund
Brian Horsburgh
TrusteeNew Leaf Venture Partners
Mike Dybbs
PrincipalNYU Office of Therapeutics Alliances
The NYU Office of Industrial Liaison (OIL) promotes the commercial development of NYU technologies into products to benefit the public, while providing resources to the University to support its research, education, and patient care missions. NYU OIL also facilitates research collaborations between NYU researchers and industry on projects of mutual interest.
In 2013, NYU launched the Office of Therapeutics Alliances (OTA). OTA is a nimble, "virtual biotech" approach to advance novel therapeutic projects by playing on the strengths of NYU in dissecting disease pathways and those of external, professional capabilities in early stage R&D. OTA identifies NYU projects with potential for addressing unmet needs, delineates the path to therapeutic proof of concept and assembles internal and external resources tailored to each specific project’s needs to maximize the likelihood of successful partnerships with biopharma, new biotech startups or disease foundations.
Nadim Shohdy
Director, Drug Discovery PartnershipsO2h Ventures Limited
O2h has a track record of investing in emerging biotech, small molecule and frontier life science starts-ups
A passion for entrepreneurship and life sciences motivates o2h to participate in syndicated seed stage investments. O2h are ready to support the investments with active or passive support to further the objectives of the company.
Sunil Shah
PartnerPrashant Shah
PartnerOmnes Capital
Comprising 10 investment professionals, Omnes Capital’s venture capital team acquires minority stakes in young companies with high growth potential. Its main areas of interest are financing innovative business ventures in the information technology and life sciences sectors (drug development, diagnostics, medical devices, bioproduction).
For 12 years, Omnes Capital has managed FCPI mutual funds (French regulated mutual funds investing in innovative companies).
Bruno Montanari
DirectorOrphagen Pharmaceuticals
Orphagen’s focus is small molecule discovery at novel drug targets. We create programs leading to first-in-class drugs. Our goal is to partner these with development stage pharmaceutical companies.
We have been first mover in creating three discovery programs for novel targets, including one program that initiated Phase 1 clinical trials with a strategic partner (JT Pharma) in 2013 for autoimmune disease.
We work with novel drug targets from a very productive target class, the nuclear receptors.
Our work has so far been funded by $15 M in federal grants and partnership revenue. Orphagen is in the process of raising equity funding to accelerate current programs.
Orphagen’s lead internal program is for retinitis pigmentosa, the major form of hereditary blindness. Closely following are antagonists to SF-1, a promising target for treatment of Cushing’s syndrome, a life-threatening endocrine disorder, and two cancers with an endocrine connection: prostate cancer and adrenocortical cancer. New target screening may lead to first-in-class programs for glioblastoma, sickle cell anemia, and cancer immunotherapy.