FasterCures

FasterCures, is a center of the Milken Institute, which focuses on the barriers that prevent medical breakthroughs from reaching patients faster. Lisa serves as External Affairs Director and manages stakeholder relationships as it relates to programmatic and business development opportunities - particularly surrounding our Partnering for Cures conference, which is an annual event that brings together leaders in the R & D space each year with the goal of collaboration to move forward the entire R & D system.

Service Provider Type
Lisa Simms
External Affairs and Operations Director 

Finney Capital

Michael Finney
Managing Director 

Flagship Ventures

Flagship Ventures is an early-stage venture capital firm founded in 2 and located in Cambridge MA. The firm has $9 million AUM. Flagship Ventures invests in therapeutics and in medical technology and makes initial allocation of typically $5-$5 million with the possibility of follow-on investments for a total commitment of up to $7 million-$15 million.
David Berry
Partner 

Forbes

Nicole Fisher
Contributor 

Formula Pharma United States

Formula Pharmaceuticals is a US-based oncology focused biotech company, developing Chimeric Antigen Receptor (CAR) based therapies using a proprietary platform.

Formula's CAR therapies involve allogeneic immune effector cells and a NON-viral transfection method for highly efficient cell expansion and differentiation. Additionally, Formula's target effector cells primarily involve Cytokine Induced Killer cells, instead of T-cells or Natural Killer cells. These various characteristics offer distinct practical, clinical, regulatory and commercial benefits over other CAR approaches that involve autologous cells and viral transfection methods. Although not yet in clinical stage development, Formula believes that its CAR based development program will catch up with competing clinical-stage development programs, based on the significant CMC and regulatory advantages that Formula's CAR approach offers.

Formula is interested in meeting with investors and prospective pharmaceutical/biotech partners. Near-term value driving milestones (including clinical trial results) are expected within the next 2-3 years.

Significant industry and investor interest in CAR based therapies have been established over the past 12 months, with 4 leading industry players (Pfizer; Novartis; Celgene and Juno Therapeutics). Formula's CAR therapy is distinctive, and is believed to offer significant advantages of the aforementioned CAR technologies. CARs represent a new and important paradigm for cancer therapy, with the leading pharmaceutical players expected to acquire and develop their own position into this space.

Year Founded
2009
Biotech Subsector
Biotech Phase of Development
Technology Overview
Formula's lead program involves a distinctive approach for the development of Chimeric Antigen Receptor (CAR) based therapies. Formula's proprietary platform involves allogeneic immune cells and NON-viral transfection for the develoment of CAR therapies, using primarily Cytokine Induced Cells (CIK), as opposed to T-cells and Natural Killer (NK) cells. The unique advantages of Formula's platform over existing autologous and viral-transfection based CAR approaches span across the CMC, regulatory and commercial spectrum. The CIK cells involved in Formula's CAR therapies have shown high therapeutic potency, WITHOUT the concommittant need for interleukins (e.g. IL-7, IL-12, IL-15). Formula's proprietary NON-viral gene transfection method leads to stable gene expression and offers efficient expansion and differentiation of the immune effector cells. Aside from offering desired therapeutic potency, the CIK cell-based CARs are believed to have a more favorable safety profile than T-cells, i.t.o. inducing cytokine storms and GvHD. CIK cells have demonstrated a longer in-vivo viability than NK cells. Complex purification processes, bead- or artificial cell facilitated optimization processes applicable to other CAR approaches can be circumvented with Formula's CMC process. Formula's CMC process and use of allogeneic CIK cells optimally facilitate scale up to commercial demand. Formula's use of the NON-viral vector based transfection method avoids the significant regulatory complexities that are associated with the viral vector based methods, which are typically used by other commercial developers of CAR based therapies. Lead indications initially involve different heme-oncology related targets.
Alliance & Collaborations
To be announced
Supporting Metrics or Evidence
Pre-clinical data package using Formula's CD123.CIK-CAR and CD19.CIK-CAR, along with clinical experience with unmanipulated CIK cells.
Current Financing Needs
To be discussed at conference
Current Timeline
GMP grade manufacturing process development ongoing. IND filing targeted within 12-18 months.
IP Status
Filed patents with broad and specific claims
Maurits Geerlings
CEO 

Foundation Fighting Blindness

The Foundation Fighting Blindness is a foundation founded in 1971 and headquartered in Colombia Maryland. The foundation typically makes allocations to companies in the range of $1-$8 million and is capable of providing $1-$15 over the investments lifetime. The firm does not look to take an equity position in companies but they do look for an ROI to return capital to the fund upon commercialization of the technology or change in ownership. The firm primarily funds companies located in the United States but will consider opportunities located globally as well. The firm provides equity capital and does look for a return though percentages taken are generally less than more financially motivated investors and all profits are reinvested back into the fund. Ideally the firm would like to allocate to 3-4 companies over the next 6-9 months.
Investor Type
Medtech Subsector
Biotech Phase of Development
Capital Structure Preference
Investment Stage Preference
Tom Capetan
Business Development 

Freedom Investors Corporation

Paul Papi
Director, Investment Banking 

FreeMind Group United States

FreeMind is a consultancy firm that specializes in raising funds from government agencies and other non-dilutive sources through grants and contracts.

FreeMind is the largest consulting group of its kind whose goal is to assist its clients in maximizing their potential to secure funding from non-dilutive sources. Established in 1999, FreeMind's proven long-term strategic approach has garnered its clients, academics and Industry alike, over $1.5 Billion to date. Our expertise in applying for grants and contracts extends throughout every government mechanism open to funding the life sciences including all NIH Institutes, DoD, BARDA, etc., as well as private foundations. FreeMind's knowledgeable and experienced team of Analysts and Project Managers are dedicated to guiding its clients' non-dilutive funding efforts from identification of the most suitable opportunity through to submission and subsequent award. Our team of experts will assist in making non-dilutive funding a key tool in a long-term financial strategy.

Year Founded
1999
Ayal Ronen

Fusion Genomics Corporation Canada

Fusion Genomics Corp (FG) is a molecular diagnostic test  development company that is introducing diagnostic kits with companion analysis software that offer superior clinical information, faster turn-around-times and ease of use for hospitals and clinical laboratories. Fusion is the first of two companies in the world to bring a validated Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) diagnostic test complete with highly secure cloud based analytical service for childhood cancers (ChildSeq-RNA SRCT) into the clinic. This test was validated in the renowned medical testing facility at the Texas Children Hospital, Baylor College of Medicine.

FG is completing development of kits for facilitating absolute diagnosis of pediatric and adult blood cancers. In addition, FG has partnered with the Royal Tropical Institute (Dutch: Koninklijk Instituut voor de Tropen; KIT) a World Health Organization reference diagnostic laboratory for infectious diseases to design the next generation of assays for the detection of infectious diseases including drug-resistant forms of tuberculosis, influenza, hepatitis and hemorrhagic fevers including Ebola.

Year Founded
2013
Biotech Subsector
Medtech Subsector
Biotech Phase of Development
Medtech Phase of Development
Technology Overview

Fusion Genomics Corporation (FG) develops molecular diagnostic tests that utilize next-generation sequencing (NGS) technologies. All of FG’s tests can be used with any of the widely adopted NGS instruments on the market. Data is analyzed using FGF’s secure FusionCloud, providing diagnosis –enabling DNA sequence information to the clinician.

Most NGS based diagnostic efforts can be divided into two categories: 1) whole genome sequencing (WGS), where the entire DNA of an individual (or a pathogen) is sequenced, and 2) target-capture sequencing (TCS), where only diseased portions of DNA are sequenced. TCS produces 1000 times less data than WGS. The expensive computational resources required for analysis of WGS data prevents it from being adopted for routine clinical use. Therefore, TCS is more suitable and appealing in frontline diagnostic environments.

TCS uses either PCR or “DNA baits” as the underlying technology to “capture” disease-specific regions of the genome. PCR-based methods suffer from limitations described earlier. FG uses proprietary Quantum ProbesTM, an enhanced form of DNA baits, in all its tests. Quantum ProbesTM allow for nearly limitless expansion of genetic targets and rapid development of new tests as well as patentable techniques that are beyond the capacity of PCR. The superior advantage of Quantum ProbeTM, coupled with FusionCloud analysis and reporting, will drive the successful adoption of the tests. 

Alliance & Collaborations
Texas Children Hospital, Baylor College of Medicine (Houston, USA), British Columbia Centre for Disease Control (Vancouver, Canada), Royal Tropical Institute / Koninklijk Instituut voor de Tropen (Amsterdam, Netherlands)
Supporting Metrics or Evidence

The Fusion Genomics team published a very well received peer-reviewed publication which demonstrated that their technology was more sensitive, accurate, rapid and comprehensive than current industry standards such as PCR and FISH.  This study can be found at here.

Current Financing Needs

 $0.5-1M to complete seed round

Current Investors

Founders, board members, family and friends.

IP Status

Patent applications are pending.

Management Team Highlights

Fusion Genomics Corporation’s team has established expertise in next-generation sequencing, diagnostic test and software development, and information technology.

Mohammed Qadir, PhD., Chief Executive Officer and Chief Scientific Officer has over 17 years of research experience; the last 10 were at the British Columbia Cancer Agency. As part of his early training, he worked with world-renowned experts in genomics and drug development and is the co-inventor of the ChildSeq assay and ChildDecode.

Greg Stazyk, Chief Technical Officer has over 20 years of experience in senior positions in the IT industry. Mr. Stazyk was the IT lead for one of Canada’s largest bioinformatics computing platform at the BC Cancer Agency’s Genome Sciences Centre (GSC). Mr. Stazyk was the senior manager at PMC-Sierra Inc. responsible for its global computer systems operation.

Brian Kwok, VP of Product Development has close to 10 years of experience in molecular biology and genomic technologies including leading edge next-generation sequencing. Mr. Kwok has worked in combinatorial drug screening and led the development of the ChildSeq assay.

Dr. Poul Sorensen MD, PhD: Board member and clinical expert. Dr. Sorensen is a world-renowned pediatric pathologist and is the Johal Chair in Childhood Cancer Research at the University of British Columbia, as well as a professor in the Department of Pathology and a Senior Scientist at the BC Cancer Research Agency (Vancouver, Canada). Dr. Sorensen is also the Chair of the Translational Research committee of the Children’s Oncology Group.

Mohammed Qadir
Chief Scientific Officer 

Fusion Pharma Canada

Fusion Pharmaceuticals is a clinical stage company committed to developing next generation precision radiopharmaceuticals for the diagnosis and treatment of human cancers with unmet medical needs.  The Company’s lead product, FPX-01, combines an alpha radionuclide with the precise targeting of an antibody to cause selective cytotoxicity of tumor cells.  FPX-01 will be entering Phase 2 clinical development in H2, 2015.

Year Founded
2014
Biotech Phase of Development
Technology Overview
The FPX-01 program represents a true theranostic approach. By leveraging its expertise in radiochemistry and biology, and utilizing different isotopes, Fusion has produced variants of FPX-01 that act as either diagnostic or therapeutic agents. For human proof-of-concept, Fusion initiated a Phase I imaging trial in Canada. Using Iodine-124 as a probe, this trial was designed to confirm that FPX-01 binds and internalizes to solid tumors expressing the receptor target as determined through PET/CT imaging. Initial results from this trial demonstrate that FPX-01 can identify metastatic lesions not previously identified through other imaging techniques. These data corroborate previous preclinical in vivo data which indicated that the radioactivity-associated with FPX-01 accumulated within tumours over several days. Following the completion of the Phase 1 imaging trial and additional preclinical studies planned for H1 2015, Fusion will file an IND in H2 2015 that will be designed to achieve breakthrough status in NSCLC. For therapy, FPX-01 will be radiolabeled with an alpha-emitting isotope. Preclinical xenograph studies, using only a single administration of isotope demonstrated tumor regression, with minimal toxicity at any dose level. It is expected that the IND-opening trial will be a Phase I/II therapeutic study in approximately 100 patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), addressing a major unmet medical need.
Alliance & Collaborations
Ontario Institute for Cancer Research
Supporting Metrics or Evidence
Clinical and pre-clinical data.
Current Financing Needs
Series A $15M
Current Timeline
H2 2015: Phase 2 IND
Current Investors
Centre for Probe Development and Commercialization
IP Status
The FPX-01 antibody is protected worldwide via multiple granted patents. Additional combinations of delivery vehicles, conjugation/chelation technologies and radioisotope variation are routinely considered and evaluated for their proprietary nature and if appropriate, patent applications are filed. Regulatory exclusivity will extend FPX-01 protection in the US market.
Management Team Highlights
Frank Gleeson, CEO. Founding CEO of Fusion Pharma, DVLR Therapeutics, Verio Therapeutics (sold to Fate Therapeutics in 2010) and former Partner with MDS Capital Corp. Mr. Gleeson has raised over $200M in syndicated financings.
Michael Cross