Innovative, Fundable, Early Stage Opportunities
Each company featured in the Emerging Company Showcase was nominated, reviewed and invited to present based upon their innovative science and the quality of their management team. They presented before a panel of ‘Pitch Doctors’, early stage VCs and investors, corporate VCs, strategic partners and other investors and advisors, who asked questions about their science and strategy. View the 2015 showcase presenters here.
2016 Presenting Companies
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3PrimeDx, Chicago IL: Developing a novel cardiac diagnostic and theranostic test, “PulsePredicTM”, to predict risk for Sudden Cardiac Death (SCD) in individuals with heart failure.(NHLBI) |
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AAVet Therapeutics, Alachua, FL: Developing an antigen-based immunotherapy program using a standard immunization procedure for the prevention and treatment of cancer. |
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AboGen, Portland, ME, Developing kits for saliva-based in vitro diagnostic testing |
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Actinobac Biomed, Kendall Park, NJ: Developing therapeutics based upon Leukothera® (LtxA), a natural protein that targets and eliminates white blood cells (WBCs) involved in the mechanism of many diseases, for multiple indications including blood cancers, autoimmune/inflammatory diseases, and HIV. (NCI) |
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Aegle Therapeutics, Miami, FL: Developing novel regenerative medicine therapies based on extracellular vesicle isolation technology to treat burns and chronic wounds as well as orthopedic injury, cardiovascular disease and certain rare diseases. |
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Allosteros Therapeutics, Palo Alto, CA: Drug discovery company targeting unique sites on key proteins in cardiovascular disease signaling pathways. (NHLBI) |
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Angiocrine Bioscience, San Diego, CA: Developing curative cellular therapies to treat indications in regenerative medicine and hematopoietic stem cell gene therapy. |
 Aperiomics |
Aperiomics, Ashburn, VA: High-throughput next-generation sequencing technologies and advanced Bayesian statistics for for pathogen detection. |
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Aronora, Portland, OR: Developing an innovative therapeutic agents to reduce the growth of life-threatening blood clots without the detrimental bleeding side effects to be used in difficult-to-treat, severe, rapidly progressing, or catastrophic thrombotic blood clotting diseases, including suspected or verified stroke, heart attack, pulmonary embolism, severe infections, and others. (NHLBI) |
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Azevan Pharmaceuticals, Bethlehem, PA: Developing first-in-class, CNS-penetrating, high affinity, high selectivity V1a receptor antagonists that are orally bioavailable for the treatment of stress-related affective disorders, including intermittent explosive disorder, neuropsychiatric symptoms in neurodegenerative diseases such as Huntington’s Disease and Alzheimer’s Disease, and PTSD. (NINDS) |
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BiologicsMD, Inc., Fayetteville, AR: Developing a series of recombinant fusion proteins that provide highly-targeted or ‘smart’ therapies for the treatment of hair loss diseases and conditions, as well as severe bone disorders. |
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Biosortia Pharmaceuticals, San Diego, CA: Utilizing proprietary drug-like metabolites from unculturable aquatic consortia of microorganisms at scale creating patentable derivatives and analogs from compounds of interest and advances lead candidates into the clinic. |
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Coridea, LLC, New York, NY: Developing device solutions for cardiac, pulmonary and renal patients who have failed drug treatment. (NHLBI) |
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Countervail Corporation, Charlotte, NC: Commercializing galantamine as an antidote to volatile nerve gas and pesticide poisoning. (NINDS) |
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Garwood Medical Devices, Buffalo, NY: Developing electrical stimulation treatments for chronic wound healing, bone growth and peri-prosthetic infection. |
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HDL Apomics – Discovering monoclonal antibodies (mAb) and developing the diagnostic arrays for the clinical testing of diseases that alter high-density lipoprotein (HDL) heterogeneity and diversity. |
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iCell Gene Therapeutics, Stony Brook, NY: developing Chimeric Antigen Receptor (CAR) engineered cells that target multiple types of cancer with very poor prognoses and clear unmet medical need. |
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Imbio, LLC Minneapolis, MN: Developing quantitative image biomarker algorithms as part of a streamlined Radiology workflow, specifically the Lung Density AnalysisTM to help radiologists and pulmonologists determine the location and extent of tissue damage in patients with COPD. |
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Immunophotonics, St. Louis, MO: Developing a proprietary drug for use in a therapeutic cancer vaccine (inCVAX). |
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Indalo Therapeutics, St. Louis, MO: Developing novel therapies for the treatment of fibrotic diseases including idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), recognized by the FDA as an orphan indication. [Formerly Antegrin Therapeutics](NHLBI) |
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Intensity Therapeutics, Westport, CT: Developing the DfuseRxSM platform to treat solid tumor cancers – in situ vaccination addressing both the regional and systemic aspects of cancer. |
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KAER™ Biotherapeutic, Escondido, CA: Developing new treatments for respiratory diseases through the inhalation of therapeutic aerosols using its proprietary SUPRAER™ technology. (NHLBI) |
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Kestrel Labs, Boulder, CO: Developing innovative medical monitoring techniques focused on extending photoplethysmography to the measurement of additional blood analytes and hemodynamic parameters. (NHLBI) |
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Mebias Discovery, Philadelphia, PA: Developing next generation, pathway-selective GPCR drugs devoid of on-target side effects |
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MicroVide, Charleston, SC: Developing a real-time, practical approach to measure critical biological pathways or drug levels in patients during a surgical procedure or during delivery of drugs which have a low threshold for side-effects and toxicity. (NHLBI) |
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Navigen, Salt Lake City, UT: A pharmaceutical technology aggregator that identifies, licenses, and rapidly advances early therapeutic technologies in areas of unmet medical need. (NHLBI) |
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NĒRx Biosciences, Indianapolis, IN: development of novel biopharmaceutical compounds that target specific cellular processes in the treatment of cancer. (NCI) |
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NovoMedix, San Diego, CA: Developing a platform technology that enables the development of orally available small molecules with wide therapeutic windows to treat fibrotic diseases with initial targeted indications of Heart Failure and Triple Negative Breast Cancer (TNBC ). (NCI) |
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NeuroSigma, Los Angeles, CA: Developing bioelectronics products targeting the treatment epilepsy, depression, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), Lennox Gastaut syndrome (LGS) and traumatic brain injury (TBI). (NINDS) |
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NuvOx Pharma, Tucson, AZ: Developing an innovative platform of dodecafluoropentane (DDFP)-based oxygen therapeutics to treat conditions including radiation-resistant cancer, hemorrhagic shock, traumatic brain injury, myocardial infarction, retinopathy and stroke. |
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OptiKira, Cleveland OH: Developing highly potent and selective KIRAs as drug candidates with a focus on back-of-the-eye diseases including retinitis pigmentosa (RP). |
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Perceptive Navigation, Baltimore, MD: Developing a forward-viewing, image-guided interventional probe for image-guided surgery, specifically in interventional radiology, cardiology, interventional oncology, pulmonology, and urology. (NHLBI) |
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PIN Pharma, Inc., New York, NY: Developing precision immune stimulants (PINs) as an immune modulator to link the innate to the adaptive immune systems for cancer therapies. |
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Platelet BioGenesis Chestnut Hill, MA: Developing commercial scale pluripotent stem cell-derived (donor-independent) human platelets for clinical application. (NHLBI) |
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PreventAGE Health Care LLC, Lebanon, NH: Developing diagnostic tests to predict early propensity to diabetic complications and reflect basic processes of biochemical tissue damage. |
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ProLung DX, Salt Lake City, UT: Developing the Electro Pulmonary Nodule Scan – the EPN Scan – a non-invasive way to risk stratify patients who are likely to have lung lesions suspicious for cancer |
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Pulmokine, Rensselaer, NY: Developing a portfolio of PDGFR inhibitors for PAH for hard-to-treat lung conditions like pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) and related disorders. (NHLBI) |
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Pulmotect, Houston TX: Developing an inhaled therapeutic that stimulates the innate immune system to protect against a wide range of lung infections including bacterial pneumonia (including MRSA), influenza, fungal pneumonia, and Class A bioterror agents (including anthrax, tularemia, and plague). (NHLBI) |
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Pulse Therapeutics, St. Louis, MO: Developing the MED System™, a magnet-based technology to rapidly dissolve blood clots, advancing the fight against stroke, heart disease and other conditions. (NINDS) |
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ReoLab, Carlsbad, CA: Developing a novel high-throughput, quantitative drug discovery platform with significant advancements to flexibility, speed, precision, and reagent efficiency. |
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Savonix, San Francisco, CA: Developing a mobile, evidence-based assessment of cognitive and emotional functions. |
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SFC Fluidics, Fayetteville, AR: Developing a connected, wearable drug dosing system that automates insulin delivery. (NINDS) |
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Shuttle Pharmaceuticals, Germantown, MD: Developing novel drugs to sensitize cancers to radiation therapy and to protect normal tissues from radiation injury resulting in improved efficacy, tolerability and safety of radiation therapy for oncology patients. (NCI) |
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Symbiotic Health, Roslyn Heights, NY: Developing oral, patient-friendly drug delivery technology targeting active bacteria and biologics to specific sites within the gut |
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Synactix Pharmaceuticals, Tucson, AZ: Developing proprietary “polypharmocology” platform focused on normalizing and eliminating cancer-cells through a ‘one-durg, multi-target’ approach, currently aimed at thyroid cancer, non-small cell lung cancer and breast cancer. (NCI) |
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TargaGenix, Stony Brook, NY: Developing novel compounds that are effective on both drug-resistant tumors and cancer stem cells. |
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Theragnostic Technologies, Stony Brook, NY: Developing a multifunctional nano-technology carrier platform harnesses the physical and chemical properties of graphene to for diagnostic, therapeutic and regenerative medicine |
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Traverse Biosciences, Stony Brook NY: Commercializing novel drug candidates for the treatment of inflammatory diseases and related conditions affecting humans and companion animals. |
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VentriNova, New York, NY: a regenerative medicine company focused on reversing cardiac damage by activation of intrinsic repair pathways to generate de novo heart muscle cells. |
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WRS Therapeutics, New York, NY: Coated microparticle platform technology for delivery of large molecule drugs to overcome the numerous barriers to absorption of large molecules in the gastrointestinal system |
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ZATA Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Worcester, MA: Developing oligotherapeutics for cancer, infectious and genetic diseases with unmet medical need. (NHLBI) |
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Zumbro Discovery, Inc., Rochester, MN: A biopharmaceutical company focused initially on developing a peptide for the treatment of resistant hypertension. |
*Select companies are participating with the support the National Institutes of Health – the specific supporting institute, National Cancer Institute (NCI), National Heart Lung Blood Institute (NHLBI) or National Institute for Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) is noted at the end of the company description.
2016 Participating Strategic Partners and Investors:
Aceras BioMedical, LLC
Aisling Capital LLC
Amzak Health
Apple Tree Partners
ARCH Venture Partners
Ariel Investments
Astra Zeneca
Astute Capital Management, LLC
BioAdvance
BioMotiv
Broadview Ventures
Bruder Consulting International, LLC
Canon BioMedical
COI Pharmaceuticals, Inc
Dabar Investment Associates
Dawson James Securities
Eli Lilly and Company
FC Capital Management
Fenagh Group
Flagship VentureLabs
FMB Research
Fortress Biotech, Inc.
FullSky Capital
FundRx
GE Global Research
Golden Seeds LLC
H.I.G. Capital
Hatteras Venture Partners
Health Investment & Financing Corporation
Hercules Technology Capital
Innovation Endeavors
Johnson and Johnson
Ladenburg Thalman
Landmark Angels and Landmark Family Office
Leidos
Lexington Capital Management
MedImmune, LLC
MedPro Investors LLC
Merck & Co., Inc.
Mid-Atlantic Bio-Angels
Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma
Mount One Capital
NJangels
NSIP LLC
OrbiMed
Pappas Ventures
Park Ave Capital
Pfizer
Primer Capital
Qilu BioVentures
Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
Research!America
RSJ Investments
Shambroom Associates, LLC
SternAegis Ventures
Syzygy Therapeutics
Torreya Partners
Trillium Medical Ventures
Two Sigma Ventures
UberResearch
Varana Capital
WestPark Capital, Inc.