News

Arbovax Passes Significant Milestone in the Development of a Vaccine against Dengue Fever

http://www.arbovax.com/press_details.asp?id=10

Novel Approach Yields Promising Results in Primate Trials

 

October 12, 2010, Raleigh, NC – Arbovax, an early-stage company developing vaccines to protect against insect-borne diseases, has just passed a significant milestone in the development of a new Dengue fever vaccine with the successful completion of non-human primate trials. The initial trial, which was focused on Dengue 2 serotype, has yielded promising results and has the potential to provide protection with one dose – unlike other technologies under development that require a multiple dose regimen. The trial was conducted with the assistance of RxGen and the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research.

 

Arbovax’s unique strategy for vaccine development is based on their proprietary Host-Range Mutation technology, which restricts the ability of the virus to replicate in diverse hosts. With this technology, Arbovax has been able to create stable genetic modifications of the viruses that do not replicate efficiently in mammalian cells, thus allowing for the development of a strong immune response without the risk of disease. Another benefit of Arbovax’s approach is that it is very cost effective to produce.

 

“We are extremely excited by these positive early results and are moving forward with development of a tetravalent product,” states Malcolm Thomas, president and CEO of Arbovax. “We believe our unique and novel approach represents a real breakthrough in vaccine development that will provide strong and lasting protection with a single dose.  In addition to providing protection against the potentially fatal Dengue fever, our technology could be used to address a whole variety of insect-borne viral diseases, including West Nile, Yellow Fever and Japanese Encephalitis.”

 

About Dengue Fever

Dengue fever is a potentially fatal mosquito-transmitted viral disease.  There has been a significant increase in cases over the last sixty years based on the changing global climate and rapid urbanization, making Dengue fever one of the most important re-emerging infectious diseases

–          Dengue hemorrhagic fever (DHF), a potentially lethal complication, was first recognized in the 1950s.

–          Over 2.5 billion people, two-fifths of the world’s population, are now at risk.

–          The disease is now endemic in more than 100 countries in Africa, the Americas, the Eastern Mediterranean, South-east Asia and the Western Pacific.

–          In 2007 alone, there were more than 890,000 reported cases of Dengue Fever in the Americas.

–          An estimated 500,000 people with DHF require hospitalization each year.

–          About 2.5% of those affected die, a very large proportion being children.

–          Without proper treatment, DHF fatality rates can exceed 20%.

 

About Arbovax

Arbovax is engaged in preclinical development of vaccines for protection against mosquito-borne diseases that collectively infect over 100 million people annually. Arbovax’s initial focus, Dengue Fever, is ranked second only to Malaria by the World Health Organization, for its devastating global impact. The company’s research and development has already yielded three US patents that apply to all insect-borne viruses including alphaviruses, bunyaviruses and flaviviruses. The company has received more than $400,000 in funding from the North Carolina Biotechnology Center, as well as $1.5 million in Series A financing.

 

For more information about Arbovax and their vaccine technology, please visit www.arbovax.com.

 

 

The Los Angeles Brain and Spine Institute is First Site in Brain Stem Cell Study of Ischemic Stroke

LINK:  http://www.prweb.com/releases/2011/03/prweb5171384.htm

Dr. George Rappard’s Site is cleared to begin enrolling patients in new study. This clinical trial is the first U.S. study involving the use of the patient’s own stem cells, infused into the brain as a regenerative therapy, two weeks after a stroke.

Los Angeles, CA (PRWEB) March 18, 2011

Quote start“ALD-401 will be delivered about two weeks after a stroke; therefore for the first time, we are investigating a treatment option that we can extend to a broader number of patients without racing against the clock…”Quote end

Los Angeles, CA (PRWEB) March 18, 2011

The Los Angeles Brain and Spine Institute, directed by George Rappard, is the first to study brain stem cell infusion as a stroke treatment. The trial will be conducted using using Aldagen Inc’s ALD-401, a unique stem cell population derived from patient’s own bone marrow. Approximately ten sites will participate in this trial. It will be the first U.S. clinical trial in stroke patients to study the use of autologous stem cells that are infused into the brain as a regenerative therapy given two weeks after the stroke. The Principal Investigator at the Los Angeles Brain and Spine Institute (LABSI) is Dr. George Rappard, a Neurointerventional Surgeon, specializing in minimally invasive surgery of the brain and spine. The LABSI Co-investigators are Dr’s David Thompson, Lance Lee and Boris Bagdasarian.

“We are very excited to participate in such a groundbreaking clinical study. Stroke represents the leading cause of disability in the U.S. and is the third leading cause of death. Currently the treatment of stroke is limited to a small number of patients presenting early enough for clot busting drug or interventional therapy. Because these therapies are only effective if given within a few hours of a stroke, less than 5% of stroke patients receive the treatment. ALD-401 will be delivered about two weeks after a stroke; therefore for the first time, we are investigating a treatment option that we can extend to a broader number of patients without racing against the clock,” said Dr. Rappard.

The trial is designed to assess the safety of ALD-401 and its potential efficacy to improve clinical outcomes in patients with ischemic strokes when administered between 13 and 19 days after a stroke. The trial size will be approximately 100 patients, with roughly 60% receiving an injection of ALD-401 into the carotid artery, the artery supplying the majority of the brain on the side of the stroke. Only patients with unilateral cortical ischemic strokes will be eligible to participate in the clinical trial. In addition, the patient’s stroke must be at least moderate, but not severe.

About the Los Angeles Brain and Spine Institute
The Los Angeles Brain and Spine Institute provides state of the art comprehensive and minimally invasive brain and spine therapies, including supportive care and research. The Institute consists of a seasoned and experienced multi-disciplinary team. Our care is delivered in a compassionate and accessible community based setting.

About Stroke

Strokes are characterized by the rapidly developing loss of brain function due to a significant diminution in the blood supply to the brain. Strokes are typically classified into two major categories, ischemic and hemorrhagic. Ischemic strokes result from an inadequate supply of blood and oxygen to the brain due to blockage of an artery, such as by a blood clot, while hemorrhagic strokes result from rupture of a blood vessel or an abnormal vascular structure. The American Heart Association estimates that approximately 800,000 patients in the United States suffer a stroke each year, approximately 87% of strokes are ischemic, and the mean lifetime cost of ischemic stroke in the United States is approximately $140,000.

About Aldagen

Aldagen is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing proprietary regenerative cell therapies. Aldagen’s product candidates consist of a specific population of a patient’s own stem cells, which are isolated using our proprietary technology and which has the potential to promote the regeneration of multiple types of cells and tissues, including the growth of new blood vessels. Aldagen’s initial focus is on developing product candidates to address cardiovascular disease. These clinical stage cardiovascular product candidates are ALD-301 for the treatment of critical limb ischemia, ALD-201 for the treatment of ischemic heart failure, and ALD-401 for the post-acute treatment of ischemic stroke.

Piedmont Pharma sells vet technology to Bayer

Link: http://www.bizjournals.com/triad/print-edition/2010/11/26/piedmont-pharma-sells-vet-technology.html

Premium content from The Business Journal – by Matt Evans, Staff writer

Date: Friday, November 26, 2010, 6:00am EST

Read more: Piedmont Pharma sells vet technology toBayer | The Business Journal

Piedmont Pharmaceuticals has sold a technology it developed that will help dogs and cats take chewable medications to the German veterinary health care giant Bayer, according to company officials.

The deal includes two additional products that are in late-stage development, but no further details about the terms of the deal or the products involved could be released, said Michael Kelly, Piedmont Pharma’s chief financial officer.

“But this is a very sizeable deal for us ultimately,” Kelly said. The revenue generated “allows us to continue to develop the strong portfolio of products we have.”

In a statement, Jean-Luc Lowniski, the head of Bayer Animal Health, said the three products his company acquired from Piedmont Pharma will enable a new range of products for companion animal health.

“With this platform technology and access to two products already in advanced development, we will complement our internal R&D efforts and expand our portfolio of offering to veterinarians and our customers,” Lowinski said.

The primary technology involved in the deal is for a chewable medicine application for dogs and cats, which has proven challenging for veterinary drug developers, Kelly said. Heartgard, a heartworm prevention medicine developed by Merial, is an example of a chewable medicine for dogs, but most medications need to be hidden in other foods or forced on the animal.

Kelly said the technology Piedmont Pharma sold to Bayer had tested to be highly palatable to both dogs and cats, and it can be used to administer a number of different kinds of medications.

“It’s a very versatile formulation,” he said.

Bayer bought the technology outright from Piedmont Pharma rather than licensing it, Kelly said, so that company now owns the intellectual property behind the chewable formulation. But Piedmont Pharma will remain involved, helping Bayer to commercialize products and continuing development of the two other technologies.

Piedmont Pharmaceuticals has hired two new employees to help manage the product development process with Bayer. The company now has 11 full-time employees.

Kelly said Piedmont Pharma will continue to develop human health-related products, including its pesticide-free head lice treatment that has helped the company land several million dollars in equity investments in recent years.

But Kelly said the market for sales of animal health products to veterinarians and for parasite-fighting medications tops $3 billion a year in the U.S., and could be where Piedmont Pharma sees most of its future growth.

“Animal health will dominate for us in the future,” he said.


Reach Matt Evans at (336) 370-2916 or mlevans@bizjournals.com.

Read more: Piedmont Pharma sells vet technology to Bayer | The Business Journal

 

Bioptigen raises $1.5M for optical imaging system

Link: http://www.techjournalsouth.com/2011/03/bioptigen-raises-1-5m-for-opitical-imaging-system/

March 8th, 2011

RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, NC – Bioptigen Inc., a company that has developed in vivo optical imaging systems that enables real-time, noninvasive imaging of internal tissue microstructure, has raised $1.5 million from a single investor, according to a regulatory filing.

Bioptigen is a spin-out of the Duke University Biomedical Engineering Department. Bioptigen was incorporated in North Carolina in August, 2004, to commercialize technologies originating in the laboratories of Professor Joseph Izatt.

The company’s technology is based on the science of Optical Coherence Tomography, an imaging system similar in function to ultrasound, but using low-power light rather than sound waves.

OCT offers resolution 100-times finer than standard ultrasound, suitable for analyzing tissue microstructure with features smaller than 4 micrometer.

Bioptigen sold $542,500 in mixed securities in 2007.

The company disclosed the current raise in a filing with the US Securities and Exchange Commission.

 

Boathouse Capital Invests $9.1M in Two Companies (AvidXchange)

Link: http://www.pehub.com/97117/boathouse-capital-invests-91m-in-two-companies/

Boathouse Capital, a Wayne, Penn.-based middle market mezzanine debt and equity investor, has put $9.1 million in two software companies: Tampa, Fla.-based Pilgrim Software Inc., and Charlotte, North Carolina-based AvidXchange. Specific terms of the two deals were not released. Pilgrim Software makes compliance and risk management software. AvidXchange is a provider of accounts payable management software.

PRESS RELEASE
Boathouse Capital, a middle market mezzanine debt and equity investment fund located in suburban Philadelphia, is pleased to announce the funding of two new portfolio companies.

Pilgrim Logo
On February 14, 2011, Boathouse invested in Pilgrim Software, Inc. Headquartered in Tampa, Florida, Pilgrim has provided compliance and risk management software to companies in highly regulated industries for nearly twenty years. Pilgrim offers a fully integrated suite of enterprise software to hundreds of blue-chip customers in the life science, food and beverage, and manufacturing industries. The company’s software helps companies facing complex and burdensome regulation – particularly within the life sciences and healthcare industries – manage an increasingly complex regulatory and compliance environment. Pilgrim boasts industry-leading customer satisfaction and retention rates and has received numerous awards for its product suite, including Frost & Sullivan’s Enterprise Compliance & Quality Mgmt Company of the Year for three years in a row. Customers have the option of purchasing Pilgrim’s software under either a perpetual license with annual maintenance model or under a hosted Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) subscription model.

Boathouse’s investment in Pilgrim took the form of a subordinated debt and was made in conjunction with the purchase of the company by Boston-based Riverside Partners, a middle market private equity firm focused on growth oriented companies primarily in the healthcare and technology industries. Riverside’s acquisition was made in partnership with the Pilgrim management team and founders of the business. The Corporate Finance Group of Silicon Valley Bank provided a senior revolving credit line and term loan to the transaction.

On November 22, 2010, Boathouse invested in AvidXchange, Inc. Founded in 2000 and based in Charlotte, North Carolina, AvidXchange is a leading provider of accounts payable management solutions for hundreds of mid-sized companies in the real estate, banking, and healthcare industries. AvidXchange’s product suite integrates with a customer’s existing accounting systems to centralize and streamline accounts payable workflow. AvidXchange enjoys outstanding customer satisfaction and retention rates. AvidXchange offers its software on a hosted Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) subscription basis.

Boathouse made a subordinated debt investment in AvidXchange, and the proceeds were used to facilitate AvidXchange’s acquisition of certain assets of EnergySolve, a complementary energy payables management software and consulting company based in New Jersey, and also to fund future growth initiatives.

About Boathouse Capital
Headquartered in Wayne, PA, Boathouse Capital manages a $105 million committed fund and seeks to invest mezzanine debt and equity in high quality lower middle market companies in partnership with management teams and private equity funds. We invest up to $10 million in companies with EBITDA of at least $2 million that have with top quality management teams, sustainable competitive advantages, a history of profitability, and end markets that can weather cyclical downturns.

Our principals have a combined 50+ years of lower middle market investing experience and have deployed over $1 billion as a team. Boathouse was founded in 2008 on a foundation of fair dealing, hard work and the belief that the best deals are those grounded in trust and common goals. Boathouse does not strive for returns at the expense of others; we believe that the best strategy is one in which everybody wins.

With these two investments, Boathouse has now made a total of six new platform investments since August 2010. Details on the rest of the portfolio can be found on our website at www.boathousecapital.com