Ohr Pharmaceutical & Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Announce Joint Venture

Ohr Pharmaceutical, a pharmaceutical company focused on the development of novel therapeutics for large unmet medical needs, and Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL) have announced the establishment of DepYmed Inc., a new joint venture to develop trodusquemine and related analogs.

The new joint venture will be a private entity, initially with equal ownership by Ohr and Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory. The two partners will seek funding and contribute to the research and development of trodusquemine and also newly patented analogs. The goal is to take the program into the clinic and to demonstrate proof of concept.

Andreas Grill, former Executive Director of Forest Research Institute for Forest Laboratories, Inc and current Center for Biotechnology BioEntrepreneur-inResidence has been tapped to serve as Chief Executive Office for DepYmed.

Read the full press release here.

Traverse Biosciences Executes Exclusive, Worldwide License Agreement

Traverse Biosciences, founded by Joseph Scaduto – one of the Center for Biotechnology’s first BioEntrepreneurs-in-Residence, announced today that it has executed an exclusive, worldwide license agreement with the Research Foundation for the State University of New York (RF/SUNY) for access to the animal health applications of a proprietary library of polyenolic zinc-binding agents. The license agreement also extends Traverse Biosciences the exclusive option to license the human health applications of these promising drug candidates.

The drug compounds were invented by Lorne Golub, DMD, MD (Honorary), Distinguished Professor in the Department of Oral Biology and Pathology in the Stony Brook University School of Dental Medicine, and Francis Johnson, PhD, President of Chem-Master International Inc. and Professor of Chemistry and Pharmacology at Stony Brook. The drugs were developed in concert with the the Center for Biotechnology at Stony Brook University. The Center provided financial support to help the inventors develop their lead compound and for follow-on animal studies.

Click to read the press releases from Stony Brook University and Traverse Biosciences.

Traverse Biosciences receives $205,709 Phase I STTR Award

Traverse Biosciences, founded by the Center’s first appointed BioEntrepreneur-in-Residence Joseph Scaduto, was just awarded a $205,709, Phase I Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Award in Partnership with the School of Dental Medicine at Stony Brook University, to evaluate the effectiveness of the company’s lead drug candidate for the treatment of periodontal disease. This is the second Phase I STTR award for Traverse Biosciences this year. The research will be led by Lorne Golub, DMD, MD (Honorary) in the Department of Oral Biology and Pathology, and Ying Gu, PhD, DDS, in the Department of General Dentistry, who will serve as co-principle investigators on the award, in close collaboration with Traverse Biosciences.

“I congratulate Traverse Biosciences on securing a second STTR award to advance their product development and commercialization efforts,” stated Dr. Clinton Rubin, Director of the New York State Center for Biotechnology at Stony Brook University. He added, “STTR funding represents a significant milestone for graduates of our burgeoning BioEntrepreneur-in-Residence program, which is meant to impact the innovation economy and entrepreneurial ecosystem in the region.”

A full press release can be found here:


http://www.traversebiosciences.com/pr150126perio.html

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Traverse Biosciences Receives Phase 1 STTR Award

Traverse Biosciences announced today that it has received a $223,979 Phase I Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) award in partnership with the Feinstein Institute for Medical Research, part of the North Shore-LIJ Health System. Funding from the National Institute on Aging (NIA) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) will be used to evaluate the effectiveness of the company’s lead drug candidate, TRB-N0224, for the treatment of osteoarthritis (OA). The research at the Feinstein Institute will be led by Daniel A. Grande, PhD, Director, Orthopaedic Research Laboratory, who will serve as principle investigator on the award in close collaboration with Traverse Biosciences. Read the full press release: http://www.traversebiosciences.com/pr140728phisttroa.html

CFB Selects Third BioEntrepreneur-In-Residence

The Center for Biotechnology at Stony Brook University has appointed Andreas Grill as the Center?s third BioEntrepreneur-In-Residence (B-EIR). Mr. Grill brings over twenty years of experience in the pharmaceutical industry to his appointment of B-EIR, having most recently served as the Executive Director of Forest Research Institute for Forest Laboratories, Inc.

Mr. Grill will conduct due diligence to identify a technology or technologies around which he may build a company. As part of the B-EIR program, Mr. Grill will have access to the Center?s business and technology development support staff. Mr. Grill?s diverse and extensive experience in both business and research and development provide him with a unique perspective and advantage when it comes to launching a therapeutic-focused start-up. Read the full press release here.