Below are recaps of another 12 of the presenting companies at the Rocky Mountain Life Science Investor Conference.
Medipacs (Tuscon, Arizona) is in clinical development with a disposable infusion pump for drug delivery. The Mini-Infuser pump – about the size of a drink coaster – is worn by the patient and utilizes a novel polymer actuator to deliver the drug through a subcutaneous tube. The pumps will be filled and programmed in a hospital pharmacy, which the company believes will dramatically reduce dosage errors, and the lack of a central line will likely enhance patient mobility. Medipacs maintains the disposable unit will be cost effective when compared to labor intensive manual injection or the capital intensive patient-controlled analgesia (PCA) pumps in the area of pain management.
Medivance (Louisville, CO) produces the Arctic Sun Temperature Management System, a device designed to dramatically lower patient body temperature (~ 9°F) after a traumatic incident such as sudden cardiac arrest, brain injury, or stroke. The Arctic Sun, introduced in 2005, is used in 90% of the leading cardiac hospitals and has demonstrated a 14% improved survival rate in cases of sudden cardiac arrest. The system includes both a device and disposables and has been placed in over 1000 medical centers.
Micro-Imaging Solutions (MIS), LLC (Englewood, Colorado) has developed technology allowing for the miniaturization of camera technology presently used in digital endoscopes. The MIS solution, which should be available in the first quarter of next year, dramatically reduces the size of the camera while slashing the cost to a level that will allow for disposable models. The company believes it can offer the same quality in a $10/chip that the current standard bearer sells for $500/camera. MIS holds thirteen patents in the US, five internationally, and has applied for another seven in the United States. The company believes the markets for endoscopes runs in the billions of dollars, with over 10 million procedures performed annually.
Numira Biosciences (Salt Lake City, Utah) is a contract research organization that utilizes proprietary reagents, unique software tools, and CT scanning equipment to offer two and three dimensional imaging in animal models to understand disease progression and drug efficacy. The company is now generating revenue from its Virtual Histology Imaging product, a process where soft issue analysis comes alive through the company’s colorful reagents. The product, designed for the medical research community, is customized on an individual basis.
Regenisis Biomedical (Scottsdale, AZ) produces a device designed to promote enhanced cell growth and reduce pain in the repair and regeneration of soft tissue. The company, founded in 1997, markets the FDA-cleared Provant Therapy System and attendant disposables, which emit a radio-frequency pulse into the wound or inflamed tissue, an event that Regenesis believes leads to the increased production of tissue capillaries. The company, with nine patents issued and seventeen pending, has already raised $8 million in two fundraising rounds. The stated goal of the firm is to obtain Medicare reimbursement by 2014.
Thermimage (Salt Lake City, Utah) has developed a scanning device and innovative therapy to detect pediatric vesicoureteral reflux (VUR), or the condition where urine flows backwards from the bladder to the kidneys, heightening the risk of infection and other long term complications. The current alternative to the test is a voiding cystourethrogram procedure, whereby a catheter is inserted into a child’s urethra, the bladder is filled with die, and a renal sonogram is used to detect urinary reflux. Thermimage’s Thermaflux Scanner is alternatively non-intrusive, instead heating the urine in the bladder and detecting the heat signature if migration occurs to the kidneys. The company has been awarded one patent on its technology with another eleven under review, and the Thermaflux Scanner continues in pre-clinical testing.
ValveXchange (Aurora, CO) is in preclinical testing with its Vitality Exchangeable Heart Valve, a therapy that seeks to end the conundrum faced by patients requiring heart valve replacement surgery. Historically speaking valve replacement patients chose between a mechanical heart valve or a tissue valve. The former will last forever but requires a lifetime of anticoagulant therapy, a process carrying both medical risks and inconveniences. A tissue valve requires no anticoagulants but typically requires replacement (open heart surgery) after ten of fifteen years, complicating the choice for younger patients. ValveXchange believes it makes the tradeoff moot by installing a docking station and tissue leaflets during the original surgery allowing for replacement of tissue leaflets using minimally invasive surgery if they wear out. RockyRadar profiled ValveXchange in November of 2008.
Vital Access (Salt Lake City, Utah) has developed the Venous Window, a device that seeks to improve the quality of care for hemodialysis patients. Patients with End Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) require their blood removed from the body, circulated through an external filter, and then replaced – typically every three days. The preferred access point to draw and replace the blood is the arteriovenous fistula, a vein-artery connection made in the lower arm. The frequency of blood draw, however, puts these fistulas in danger of collapse due to needles that are improperly targeted. The Venous Window is a device which is implanted to sit on top of the arteriovenous fistula and effectively provides a pathway for the needle so the puncture is more regularly on target. The company believes use of the device will improve the longevity of access at the preferred draw point, improving patients’ lives by keeping their hemodialysis clinic hours to a minimum.
Western States Biopharmaceuticals (Aurora, Colorado) is focused on the development of therapies that treat inflammatory disease while preserving the immune system. The company’s lead molecule has been shown to specifically target autoreactive T-cells while leaving the innate immune alone. This treatment could prove an alternative to anti-TNFs such as Enbrel and Humira for conditions including rheumatoid arthritis and psoriasis. The company is currently engaged in pre-clinical testing and expects it could be ready to file and IND and begin human testing in 2011.
Allogenesis (Denver, Colorado) has created a purified human platelet mixture made from platelets contained in blood from blood banks that holds promise to replace current growth media for stem cells. To create its products, the company takes banked blood, concentrates the platelets, and chemically extracts the growth factors. Currently, researchers must either used animal derived growth media which, while inexpensive, can be unsafe and do not accurately predict human response or defined animal free media which are expensive and can be missing components. The company’s pHMP product promises to offer researchers more affordable animal-free option capable of working across applications. The company is seeking investment to continue development.
Apoplogic (Aurora, Colorado) is focused on the development of medications for oncology with several molecules currently in pre-clinical testing. The company’s lead molecule breceptin, a peptide dimer, has been shown to induce apoptosis by providing cells with discordant signaling and has shown extremely impressive results in animal testing. The initial target indication for breceptin is expected to be first line maintenance therapy in small cell lung cancer, a condition affecting about 40K people annually. The company expects to file an IND for breceptin in October and begin human clinical trials soon after, contingent on funding.
Applied Microarrays (Tempe, Arizona) develops microarrays capable of detecting and quantifying proteins and genes. While the company itself is two years old and was formed after acquiring assets from GE Healthcare, its technology and development has a nine year history beginning as part of Motorola. A typical customer comes to Applied with a biomarker of interest and Applied works to develop the capture agent and microarray to facilitate testing. The company’s current facilities and equipment are capable of supporting over $30M in sales annually.
