Life Sciences Investment Summits Announced for UK, EU, and US in 2012 and 2013

TBC and Biomart Global announce program of Transatlantic Life Science Investment Summits
New York City October 18, 2011 – The Transatlantic Business Council and Biomart Global announce that they are to collaborate on a rolling program of life science investment summits in Germany, the United Kingdom and the United States in 2012 and 2013.

The first investment summit is scheduled to be held in Frankfurt, Germany on April 23 and 24, 2012 with future events planned for Oxford University and Manchester (UK) and New York and Princeton (USA) later in the year and in the spring of 2013.

The investment summits will be designed to identify innovation and to bring these to the transatlantic marketplace through partnership, investment and licensing.

They will provide first hand perspectives and case histories and will act as a networking place for healthcare VC’s, CEO’s, Corporates and Investment Bankers to facilitate deal flow, share information, address concerns and explore new opportunities for transatlantic joint ventures.

To attend, participate, or sponsor any of the life sciences investment summits please contact us.

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Quasi-Vivo Interconnected Cell Culture System Saves Time, Saves Money, Saves Animals in Drug, Biomarker, Pre-clinical Testing Protocols

Kirkstall Ltd. has successfully introduced their breakthrough Quasi-Vivo Interconnected Cell Culture System in Europe and, now, has retained us to introduce the Quasi-Vivo Interconnected Cell Culture System in the United States.

Researchers, pharmaceutical testing,  cosmetics & cosmeceuticals testing, clinical research (R&D) tools & equipment manufacturers, animal advocates, and toxicologists in universities and industry laboratories hail Quasi-Vivo as an important new tool for pre-clinical, pre-discovery, and early-stage testing. More pre-clinical cell culture techniques are now available. Quasi-Vivo is working its way into cell culture protocols at institutions and businesses.

It screens out bad candidates more accurately, more quickly, and at lower cost than current practice of cell culture techniques and official cell culture protocols — especially in comparison to pre-clinical R&D animal testing. The Quasi-Vivo advantages are many, including, but not exclusively:

(1) BETTER SCREENING OF EXPERIMENTAL COMPOUNDS and BIOMARKERS — MORE ACCURATE EXPERIMENT RESULTS: Cell culture tissue lives much longer, as much as 28 days, in the Kirkstall Quasi-Vivo Interconnected Cell Culture System, which means that researcher scientists can observe pre-clinical testing results over longer periods of time and, therefore, generate more accurate results

(2) SAVES TIME — FASTER EXPERIMENT RESULTS:  With standard cell culture techniques for pre-clinical testing compounds in animals, most results on the affect to the animals’ liver, kidneys, gastrointestinal system, eyes, skin, brain, and the specific treatment target area are not available unless and until the animals are killed and autopsied. By getting toxicology and other pre-clinical test results faster the R&D resources can be shifted more quickly to alternative biomarkers, pharmaceutical drug and household chemical consumer product candidate compounds (like cosmetics and the booming market for cosmeceuticals).

Time is a key factor in cell culture protocols; Quasi-Vivo is a key driver for saving time among now available cell culture techniques.

(3) SAVES ANIMALS — REPLACES ANIMAL TESTING (for toxicology, irritation, and efficacy) for pharmaceutical drugs and household chemical  consumer products: The Kirkstall Quasi-Vivo Interconnected Cell Culture System uniquely replicates each of the body organs — separately, in parallel, and in sequence — simulating an animal (or human) body for the purposes of pre-clinical experimental testing of how a compound affects the body organs and organ systems as the various gestation systems metabolize the test pharmaceutical drug and household chemical compound or biomarker. The results can be observed as they occur and immediately upon ending the test period.

Animal testing has been a very controversial, yet necessary, step in cell culture protocols prior to human testing. A more accurate, safe, and faster cell culture technique that replaces  need for animal testing helps advances medical progress and medical ethics.

(4) SAVES MONEY: The Kirkstall Quasi-Vivo Interconnected Cell Culture System saves money in at least four ways for both drug and household chemicals testing in that (a)  it will be no longer necessary to maintain, operate, and protect purity of animals for research testing; (b) the starter kit and scalable add-ons of the Quasi-Vivo Cell Culture System are very inexpensive as compared to other test equipment (A starter kit costs approximately $3,500.); (c) faster results means more quickly moving on to pursuing alternative compounds; and (d) screening out bad drug, biomarker, drug delivery system, cosmetics, and cosmeceutical candidates so early in the process saves the costs of the next testing steps.

The bottom line has become a more influential driver in pre-clinical testing (cell culture) protocol, as the pharmaceutical drug pipeline gap worries Wall Street, so new cell culture techniques that save money should get a look.

(5) IDENTIFIES THE PROBLEM — WHERE IS IT, SO LET’S FIX IT: With interconnected cell culture wells of live tissue from multiple kinds of organs in sequence the research scientists can identify which of body organ (tissue), based on which cell culture well, presents a toxicology, efficacy or other problem and which body organ (tissue), based on cell culture well, preceded the problem organ tissue in the metabolism process. This is especially helpful in the pre-clinical testing of biomarkers, cosmetics, cosmeceuticals, and new drug deliver systems.

The longer cell culture lifespan in the Quasi Vivo cell culture technique helps identify problems with new drug candidates early enough, accurately enough, and quickly enough to give these compounds a chance at modifications to overcome the identified problem. If included in cell culture protocols, this creates more discovery opportunities out of each compound; so this increases the probability of success of early stage drug and drug delivery discoveries.

(6) SCALABLE and CUSTOMIZABLE: Like the children’s innovative building toy “Legos” the Kirkstall Quasi-Vivo Interconnected Cell Culture System uses patented designed yet standardized parts that research teams can assemble any  way they choose — customize the experimental cell culture test to fit any sequence and/or concurrent comparison. Again, this is particularly helpful for pre-clinical testing of biomarkers and new drug deliver systems, as well as new drug treatment compounds.

The patented design cell culture wells uniquely ensure controlled flow of nutrients and test compounds (and anything other materials in the pre-clinical test). This is largely what makes it possible for the cell cultures to live so long and to generate such accurate results.

Most likely uses are pre-clinical testing for toxicology and efficacy results for biomarkers, new drugs, new drug delivery systems, and other pharmaceutical products and household chemical consumer products.

For more information, or to order a starter kit that you can play with and run some tests with, then contact us directly through pipeline4healthcare.

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Antibody and animal testing replacement scannins can identify cancer and other disease-treatment signature at DNA level for diagnostics and therapies

A young biotech company has developed a new platform technology that can manufacture scannins to replace most  use of antibodies and animal testing in process of identifying presence, level, and method of action of disease molecules and, therefore, therapeutic agents for treatments with fewer side effects, lower cost, more targeted accuracy, and more personalized to each person’s specific version or mutation of the cancer or other disease.

The traditional drug development process is to try as many as possible compounds against a disease sample until they find one (or more) to see which has a desired effect on the disease. Although they may not clearly understand why it works, especially at the DNA level, and, therefore, cannot eliminate all of the undesirable side effects. The scannins work at the DNA level and use arrays of tens of thousands at a time to test against a disease to find out which DNA proteins are involved and therefore which to bind to, and where to bind to, for treatment (or cure).

This is a breakthrough derived from the new DNA knowledge. This platform technology produces scannins for current diagnostic applications and future therapeutics which can be manufactured as open-array or closed-array, and as customized scannins packages or as diagnostic assay device with scannins built on gold strips for cancer, vasculitis, and other inflammation-related disease

A superior alternative to antibodies (in many cases); making micro arrays – protein arrays – that are uniform 20,000 per slide; will not bind to anything unless & until target programmed

At DNA level, choose from billions of scannins produced for those to bind with target and, when identified, then that signature can be manufactured again and again – with 6-week turnaround vs 6-month for animal-grown antibodies. Identifies disease’s protein molecule’s signature and identifies disease presence and the disease’s biology for diagnostic, therapeutic, and prognostic applications; by knowing the signature and tagging a treatment then can determine-measure effectiveness

Compared to current art of using antibodies, scannins offer:

- More flexibility

- Improved biological stability (largely because derived from protease inhibiotor)

- Lower cost of manufacturer

- Reduces (if not replaces) animal testing for developing and evaluating toxicity of new diagnostics and therapies

- Reduced side-effects, by targeting only the DNA activated proteins specifically involved with the disease and targeting the part of the proteins to bind … thus more target specificity and dual-specificity targeting

- Can be applied to cancer and many inflammation – related diseases, including autoimmune inflammation diseases, lik vasculitis

- Can be used in high throughput  as well as small scale testing

- Much shorter manufacture time than antibodies == scannins take about 6 weeks (because they are produced in lab and from continual reproduction) to produce as opposed to antibodies which take about 6 months (because grown in animals)

For further information, contact us.

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New Cancer Drug Delivers Higher Doses of Vascular Disrupting Agents (VDA) Directly and Only into Cancer Tumors using Biomarkers

A university research team has developed and been granted worldwide patents on an oncology drug which can delivers, as an injectable, extremely high dose of Vascular Disrupting Agent (VDAs) directly and only into the cancer tumor, resulting in average 70% cure rate and oncology acceptable trace amounts in non-cancerous tissue. The new drug has use in both chemotherapy and oncology imaging diagnostics.

The new cancer therapy uses oncology biomarker technology to target cancer tumors. To date, oncology testing has been concluded in small lab animals in vivo both directly and with human cancer tumors grafted, as well as in vitro human cancer tumors and non-cancerous tissue. Additionally, the new cancer treatment agent has been tested using multiple vascular disrupting agents (VDAs). It serves as the “heat seeking missile” which can deliver vascular disrupting agents (VDA) for chemotherapy made by any pharmaceutical company.

The new cancer drug’s next round of development is toxicology studies and preparations for regulatory approval for testing in humans. Note that in oncology clinical trials, even Phase One clinical trials, use of placebo is prohibited as it would be inhuman NOT to give a cancer patient the new drug. Therefore Phase One Clinical Trials are more significant in providing efficacy, dosing, and commercialization potential.

This new drug could be both a chemotherapy silver bullet  and a much earlier cancer diagnostic imaging tool for oncologists to detect and locate cancerous tumors, as it can deliver a vascular disrupting agent (VDA) or a luminescent biomarker.

Currently, only a limited dose of VDA can be injected into the cancer patient because the Vascular Disrupting Agent will disrupt the vasculature of the patients non-cancerous tissues as well, including vital organs. Thus there is limit to how much toxic substance can be left in non-cancerous tissue and organs by oncologists … or the cancer patients will die from the therapy intended to cure them. There is a trade-off between delivering more toxic chemotherapy drug to kill the cancer tumors and limiting delivery of the chemotherapy drug to protect the patient from over-toxicity.

This new drug deliver breakthrough solves that trade-off. VDA chemotherapy will be much more effective much higher delivery and targeted drug absorption of the Vascular Disrupting Agent chemotherapy drugs.

Note that the substance itself is the delivery vehicle — like a heat-seeking missile — which should be able to deliver any current or newly discovered Vascular Disrupting Agent directly and only into the cancer tumor, but this substance is not a VDA itself, per se. So, whatever, whenever, as many new Vascular Disrupting Agents are developed by any pharmaceutical R&D team or company, this new cancer therapeutic substance should be able to deliver the VDA.

Funding is being sought to cover the costs of concurrent (a) toxicology studies and (b) preparation of all that is needed for submission to the regulatory authorities to obtain permission for Phase One clinical trials in humans.

It is expected that, based on results to date and historically, toxicology studies for a cancer therapy will pass muster and high demand by industry will be felt after, if not during, Phase One clinical trials because of the potential of this new molecular entity’s versatility and VDA delivery role. Note that part of that early phase interest will come from the fact that in oncology (cancer drug) Phase One clinical trials all cancer patient trial participants get the drug therapy, so it is more of an advanced stage trial of the amount of toxic VDA chemotherapy drug can be safely delivered by the new substance.

For further information or to invest in funding (by grants, equity, bonds, or convertibles) this new substance’s toxicology studies, clinical trial prep, and/or clinical trials, please contact us. A range of $750,000 – t0 – $5-millionis sought from grantors and/or investors depending upon the degree and extent of stages funded.

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Longer-Lasting Medical Device for Laryngectomy Speech Valve Replacement Saves Millions and Improves Lives of Throat Cancer Patients

Currently, in a laryngectomy surgical procedure — removal and replacement of the voice box — physicians insert a small silicon speech valve, a medical device that reconnects the patient’s wind pipe to the patient’s throat.

But this small silicon speech valve inserted during a laryngectomy only lasts for approximately three (3) months. So every three months, patients must undergo another medical device replacement. That’s another surgical procedure every three months for the rest of their lives.

Obviously, frequent speech valve replacements — and the anticipation of repeating this surgical procedure every three months — causes significant stress, discomfort, depression, and recovery time to the patient and costs the global healthcare system billions of dollars annually for the surgical procedures, the medical devices, and the additional related costs for patient mental health and recovery time.

Each laryngectomy surgical procedure leads to approximately four (4) speech valve replacements medical devices per month or approximately thirteen (13) speech valves and speech valve replacements per year.

Throat cancer is a leading cause of laryngectomy so there will continue to be demand for the laryngectomy surgical procedures and the speech valve medical devices. However, some laryngectomy procedures are caused by accidental injury, criminal violence, and war injuries; so the laryngectomy can be performed in the standard operating room (OR), the emergency room (ER), and the military field hospital.

The volume of Laryngectomy surgical procedures and emergency room and field procedures will remain constant, or, perhaps, grow due to higher smoking rates and rising economies in Asia, Africa and South America … and the continued high number of violence and war casualties.

The speech valves become “contaminated” and that leads to the need for replacing the medical devices.

A group of university researchers have developed  a speech valve which will not become contaminated so quickly. Therefore speech valve replacements will be required less frequently.

In terms of healthcare costs, each additional month saves the healthcare system — and the economy — 30% of the total annual expenditure for purchasing the medical devices and the surgical procedures to replace the speech valves. Even such a relatively small improvement can save tens of millions of dollars annually.

Additionally, the more complete context of laryngectomy-related speech valve replacement healthcare and economic costs will include the secondary costs of mental health and lost work days will experience significant savings as well.

Finally, but not least significantly, more durable speech valve medical device and longer replacement cycles will improve quality of life and reduce discomfort and anxiety of patients. Many, if not most, laryngectomy and speech valve replacement patients are victims of throat cancer or injury (both accidental and violence) who have already been seriously traumatized by the operating rooms and emergency rooms.

The university research team which developed this new generation speech valve for replacement is refining prototypes to GMP standards, entering clinical trial phases, and starting to consider commercialization strategies and medical device industry partners for throat cancer surgery, emergency rooms for injuries, and field hospitals for military casualties.

For further information about the performance level of the new speech valve medical device and opportunities to participate in commercialization, contact us.

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Optimizing Chemical Reaction Rates by More Efficient Mixing Equipment Used in Laboratory New Chemical Testing for More Accurate Results

Research to discover and evaluate new chemical processes for drugs, diagnostics, and production methods rely initially on the efficiency rates of chemical mixing equipment at the laboratory level. So inaccurate chemical mixing equipment leads to incorrect — or failed — chemical reaction rates. That could disqualify a viable chemical process — a missed opportunity for a new commercially viable chemical process.

This is a small niche concept with big R&D and evaluation consequences.

Currently, sponsored in part by an industry partner, the research team hopes to take this project further to other industries, venues, and and product applications benefiting from more efficient chemicals mixing equipment.

For further information contact us.

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Cardio-Vascular Update: Small Molecules to Target & Inhibit Each Protein in Thrombosis Coagulation for Reduction in Side Effects

While it is well established that several specific coagulant proteins interact to form a blood thrombosis — leading to platelet aggregates, and thus to heart attack and stroke among cardio-vascular at-risk populations. And, there exist in the cardio-vascular marketplace certain anti-coagulant (a.k.a. anti-platelet) treatments.

This research is identifying and studying each of the specific blood coagulant proteins involved in the development of platelet aggregates which likely will reach the level of cardiac thrombosis, heart attack and stroke.

This research aims to develop additional, more targeted cardio-vascular treatments for anticoagulant or thrombosis formation stage of platelet aggregation.

There always exists an opportunity to develop pharmaceutical therapies with cleaner profiles and more targeted, less contra-indicative side effects. Drilling down to the pharmaceutical’s core mechanism of action for effectiveness will most likely seize these opportunities. The molecular route may seem quaint in the genetic treatment race, but it is still a viable route and a quicker route to the cardio-vascular pharmaceutical market most recently riddled with me-too rejections and high-incidence/high-risk product warnings and recalls.

Additionally, the need for such alternative, targeted thrombosis prevention pharmaceuticals goes beyond the obvious size of the heart attack and stroke incidence rate. There exists the strong need to prevent side effects associated with current anticoagulant thrombosis prevention treatments. The need exists in both the general cardiac at-risk population and in the various sub-populations of relevant disease states affected more by the current cardiac thrombosis prevention treatment anticoagulants.

The theme of the research is to better understand the unique attributes of these proteins involved in the blood coagulant process as relates to their role in cardio-vascular thrombosis formation and consequent strokes and heart attacks.

The research outcome expected is resultant platform technology (or platform technologies) which directly offer practical applications — i.e. additional thrombosis prevention treatment options — for  cardiac physicians, thus prevent more heart attacks and strokes. These options will apply the new platform technology / technologies on targeting certain one or some of these coagulant proteins to disrupt the coagulation process with fewer side effects than current anti-coagulant pharmaceutical treatment options in the cardio-vascular market.

At this point, the research has been underway for at least 2 years and progress is significant … but, as yet, too proprietary in nature for additional detail. We shall follow this project and endeavor to update you quarterly.

For information and opportunities to sponsor or pre-license technology developed in this research, please contact us for further introduction.

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Cancer Diagnostic Test gives earlier detection, maybe genetic disposed …

A new use of a commonly available diagnostic test platform technology has been shown earlier detection of cancer. So far, it has been correct 100% in predicting whether patients will be diagnosed with cancer before any current cancer diagnostic test.  So far, samples have been tested for skin cancer melanoma and colon cancer.

Another  trial sample must be conducted to help determine whether this cancer diagnostic test predicts disposition — genomic probably — to cancer versus whether this cancer diagnostic test just detects cancer much earlier than current cancer diagnostic tests. This trial sample will cost approximately $100,000. The research team is looking at funding options and partners.

For further information or investor interest, please contact us.

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Discovery Leads to New Prevention Treatments for Diabetes, Obesity and Cardiovascular Circulatory Disease Using IGF Binding Proteins

Recent university research laboratory work continues, but evidence shows that IGF (Insulin-like Growth Factor) Binding Proteins can be applied to the fights against obesity, diabetes, and cardo-vascular circulatory diseases.

Many researchers have worked with IGF Binding Proteins (BP for IGF-1 and IGF-2) for various diseases because they effect so many organs and physiologies in the human body. Much of that research has focused on cancer. These university researchers have focused on obesity and diabetes … and, consequently, cardiovascular disease.

Often these three conditions are directly related, even causal. Health experts in the US are expecting a cardiovascular tsunami from the explosion of obesity. Doctors already see the first tidal wave in the form of diabetes crashing through the population, especially at younger and younger ages. It’s like a chain reaction or series of falling dominoes. So Insulin-like Growth Factor, or IGF, Binding Protein therapy success in any of these three can greatly impact the consequences of the others. Obese patients are considerably more likely to develop diabetes (especially type-2 diabetes) … and cardiovascular disease. Diabetes patients usually suffer worse outcomes when they develop cardiovascular diseases.

Obesity may be the fastest growing disease in the United States, especially among the young. Therefore, the growth of diabetes and cardiovascular disease also will start rising at a much higher rate. Studying Insulin-like Growth Factor proteins and their family have lots of potential for several disease states. New treatments from IGF Binding Proteins should be a priority consideration now that IGF Binding Proteins have shown real promise … especially in insulin resistance and obesity, the greatest new threat to cardiovascular disease and better outcomes.

This team of university researchers are progressing well in developing novel therapies based on IGF Binding Proteins for preventing obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular circulatory problems. Such projects should also be pursued for other related disease states using the Insulin-like Growth Factor protein family.

For further information, investment, or an introduction to the research team, please contact us at pipeline4healthcare through the contact space provided below.

Steve Reichenstein reporting for pipeline4healthcare

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New Cancer Treatment: Magnetic Nano Particles Pull Therapeutic Genes and Immune Cells through Endothelial Cells into Tumors

University researchers have developed and proven a new cancer treatment process technology which overcomes the major hurdle to delivering knock-out therapeutic genes directly into the tumors — penetrating endothelial cells that form walls to blood vessels and other important tissue. Current cancer therapies have difficulty penetrating the endothelial cells, and thus suffer minimal tumor uptake of the therapeutic genes and immune cells.

The university research team attaches magnetic nano particles (MNP) to immune cells armed with a therapeutic gene, then applies a powerful magnet to “pull” the magnetic nano particle  + immune cell + therapeutic gene combo fully through endothelial cells, such as in walls of blood vessels, and directly into the cancer tumor.

Magnetic nano particles for diagnostic immunoassay tests have already been patented, and portable, inexpensive devices are currently in development. However this new cancer treatment may be the first use of combined magnetic nano particles and gene therapy for direct delivery in tumors.

Both nano particles-materials and genetic & meta-genetics offer vast new opportunities for additional clinical diagnostics and therapy as two of the biggest disruptive technologies to benefit health care.

Targeting and delivering treatment cells, like immune cells and suicide cells, directly at tumors more precisely has become a major focus of cancer treatment research, as well as delivery of pain drugs, as you probably know. However, tumor uptake of therapeutic genes and immune cells has been limited, particularly at the point of penetrating endothelial cells of the blood vessel and other wall tissue.

For further information — including confidential disclosures — contact me or comment.

Steven Reichenstein reporting for pipeline4healthcare, a BioMART initiative

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