By Christopher P. Singer --
On Monday, FierceBiotech published its annual "Fierce 15" list of what it considers to be among the most promising of the up-and-coming companies in the biotechnology industry. FierceBiotech, a daily biotech industry news provider, has been publishing the Fierce 15 since 2003. The companies below (listed alphabetically) were named to the Fierce 15 for 2008. The brief description following each company is adapted from information taken from each company's website.
Bind Biosciences has a product platform that incorporates aspects of polymeric biomaterials, nanoparticle engineering, and combinatorial synthesis to create nanoparticles that are targeted for specific indications. The optimized nanoparticles concentrate drug at the site of disease while minimizing systemic exposure, thereby increasing efficacy and reducing side effects. Initial focus has been in the area cardiovascular disease and cancer.
BrainCells is a biopharmaceutical company focused on the development of breakthrough small molecule therapeutics for diseases of the central nervous system (CNS). BCI uses its neurogenesis technology platform to identify clinical-stage compounds, novel targets, and compounds optimal for treatment of CNS indications such as mood disorders, psychoses, cognition, and brain repair syndromes among others.
Cellular Dynamics is a drug screening company that currently provides cardiac drug toxicity testing with plans to develop additional cellular products for pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies to assist in the development of safer and more effective drugs.
Concert Pharmaceuticals uses its deuterium chemistry platform to modify specific properties of validated drug molecules, which provides a pipeline of new chemical entities (NCEs). Concert seeks to create novel drug candidates with the potential for best-in-class efficacy and safety, while greatly reducing R&D risk, time, and expense.
Constellation Pharmaceuticals is the first biopharmaceutical company dedicated to the development of novel therapeutics in the emerging field of Epigenetics, focusing on selective regulators of epigenetic function, which are critical to controlling gene expression. As aberrant epigenetic regulation has been linked to many cancers, the initial therapeutic focus will be in the area cancer. Constellation is also building a technology platform to research multiple targets in multiple therapeutic areas.
CytImmune Sciences is a clinical stage nanomedicine company with a core focus on the discovery, development, and commercialization of multifunctional, tumor-targeted therapies. With a research and development strategy that is based on the properties of gold nanoparticles, cytotoxic agents, and biology of tumors, CytImmune is developing a pipeline of proprietary drug candidates through the binding of potent anti-cancer agents to its patented colloidal gold tumor-targeting nanotechnology.
Genocea Biosciences is involved in vaccine discovery and development. The company identifies antigens that result in the in vivo stimulation of protective CD8+ and CD4+ T-cells, providing potential targets that can be immediately incorporated into existing antigen delivery systems to produce multivalent vaccine formulations having the highest probability of generating protective cell-mediated immunity.
GlobeImmune is a biopharmaceutical company focused on the discovery, development, and manufacturing of targeted molecular immunotherapies called Tarmogens® (Targeted Molecular Immunogens) for the treatment of infectious diseases and cancer. Tarmogens® are whole, heat-killed recombinant S. cerevisiae yeast genetically modified to express one or more protein targets that stimulate the immune system against diseased cells. Tarmogens® program the cytotoxic T cells (a.k.a. killer T cells) in the patient's immune system to eliminate diseased cells containing the antigen(s).
NanoBio Corp. is a biopharmaceutical company focused on developing and commercializing novel products for the prevention and treatment of infectious diseases, based on its patented NanoStat™ technology platform. NanoBio's lead product candidates include treatments for herpes labialis (cold sores), onychomycosis (nail fungus), and mucosal vaccines for Hepatitis B and Influenza. The NanoStat™ platform technology enables both topical anti-infective products as well as a broad range of mucosal vaccines. The technology employs high-energy, oil-in-water emulsions that are manufactured at a size of 150-400 nanometers and are stabilized by surfactants.
OncoMed Pharmaceuticals is a biotechnology company that utilizes its scientific experience and understanding of tumor initiating cells, also known as "cancer stem cells," to discover and develop novel therapeutics that could provide important alternatives for the treatment of cancer. Currently, OncoMed is developing a series of monoclonal antibodies that target the biologic pathways critical to tumor initiating cells, and that have been tested using a proprietary xenograft model derived from human tumor specimens.
Regulus Therapeutics is a
biopharmaceutical company with a focus on microRNA therapeutics,
addressing therapeutic opportunities that arise from abnormal
expression or mutations in microRNAs. Regulus has identified a
microRNA as a potential treatment for hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection
and is actively exploring additional areas for development of microRNA
therapeutics, such as cancer, other viral diseases, metabolic
disorders, and inflammatory diseases.
Relypsa is a biopharmaceutical company researching and developing non-absorbed polymeric drugs for applications in cardiovascular and renal disease. Relypsa possesses rights to a proprietary drug discovery platform and a pipeline of product candidates including a drug candidate for the treatment of hyperkalemia, and a potential treatment of congestive heart failure.
Resolvyx Pharmaceuticals is developing a class of medicines called Resolvins, which are naturally-occurring, small molecule lipid mediators with the potential to treat a wide range of inflammatory diseases. Unlike most anti-inflammatory drugs which suppress the body's inflammatory response, Resolvins work by activating the body's own mechanisms for shutting off, or resolving, inflammation. The current pipeline includes programs for asthma, rheumatoid arthritis, dry eye, renal diseases, irritable bowel disease, and cardiovascular disease.
Santaris Pharma is a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company focused on developing designer drugs for targeted therapy using its proprietary, RNA analogue, Locked Nucleic Acid (LNA). LNA transforms the therapeutic potential of oligonucleotide drugs, thereby substantially improving the prospect of developing successful drugs. Santaris' oligonucleotide drugs target messenger-RNA and microRNAs known to be associated with cancer, metabolic disorders and viral disease.
Tolerx develops therapies based upon the mechanisms that the immune system uses to tolerate (tolerogenic response), or conversely attack (immunogenic response), the antigens that trigger immune responses, and has focused its research on T effector cells and T regulatory cells. In particular, Tolerx is researching interaction of T regulatory cells with other immune system cells and believes that T regulatory cells provide novel mechanisms and targets for use in developing products to treat patients with immune-related diseases.
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Posted by: x-ray fluorescence | February 12, 2009 at 03:20 AM