Author Archives: Center for Biotechnology

“Heavy-Hitting LI BioMentor Initiative Makes It Official”

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The Long Island BioMentor Initiative (LIBMI) officially accepted its first program applications in a “launch event” at the de Seversky Mansion on Thursday May 10, 2018. Already a year into a “pilot phase,” the LIBMI was developed in league with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Venture Mentoring Service which employs an “objective team-mentoring model” for early-stage businesses that champions one strict rule above all others: The uber-qualified mentors are prohibited from investing in, pitching business to or otherwise profiting from their mentees.

Read the full article from Innovate Long Island.

Sustained Nano Systems Reports Positive In-Vitro Results Glaucoma Treatment

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SUSTAINED NANO SYSTEMS ACHIEVES POSITIVE IN-VITRO RESULTS ON LONG TERM SUSTAINED DELIVERY OF LATANAPROST FOR GLAUCOMA TREATMENT.

New York, NY – March 6, 2018 (NEWSFRONT MEDIA). Sustained Nano Systems, LLC (“SNS”), a biopharmaceutical company utilizing its platform technology of bio-resorbable nano and microparticles for long term drug delivery, is pleased to announce positive results for the in-vitro presence of Latanaprost for the treatment of glaucoma over a duration of 159 days.

Latanaprost, a prostaglandin analogue, is the #1 glaucoma drug in the world, with dosing of up to four eye drops every day for the remainder of a patient’s life. Latanaprost reduces elevated intraocular pressure in open-angle glaucoma or ocular hypertension. At the present time, there is no long-acting formulation for glaucoma, only multiple daily eyedrops. SNS LAT-LA (Latanaprost Long Acting) is designed to be administered by a single periocular injection with a duration of six months. “The potential for SNS LAT-LA to sustain deliver for six months, would fulfill an important unmet need in replacing the more burdensome and potentially less compliant regimen of daily eye drops,” said Dr. Barry Libin, CEO of SNS. LAT-LA will now undergo further studies to indicate its efficacy in the long term reduction of intra-ocular pressure.

Glaucoma is the second leading cause of blindness in the world, in which abnormally high intraocular pressure may cause damage to the optic nerve, resulting in irreversible vision loss. In the U.S. alone, 2.7 million people suffer from glaucoma. According to IMS Health data, there were 34 million prescriptions and sales of over $2.7 billion of drugs administered by eye drops for the treatment of glaucoma in the U.S. in 2017, and global spending was over $6 billion. Compliance is the biggest problem with existing therapies for glaucoma, with more than 50% of patients on topical prostaglandin analogs not compliant within the first six months of treatment

ABOUT SUSTAINED NANO SYSTEMS (SNS)

SNS is a privately held biopharmaceutical company focused on the development and commercialization of innovative therapies for diseases and conditions in ophthalmology, oncology and other areas. The Company’s research facility is located on the campus of Stony Brook University as part of the Long Island High Technology Incubator. The SNS platform is the result of a comprehensive research effort that allows for long term micro-dosing for the continuous release of drugs to targeted tissues as prescribed. The basis of the SNS pipeline is its patented technology that incorporates bio-resorbable nano and micro carriers to deliver sustained delivery of important therapeutics, including anti-inflammatories and monoclonal antibodies for immunotherapies in cancer, retinal disease, and other disease states.

For further information, visit: www.sustainednanosystems.net

Forward-Looking Statements
SNS Disclosure Notice: This press release contains “forward-looking statements” as that term is defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. For this purpose, any statements contained herein or which are otherwise made by or on behalf of the Company that are not statements of historical facts may be deemed forward looking statements. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, words such as “may,” “will,” “to,” “plan,” “expect,” “believe,” “anticipate,” “intend,” “could,” “should,” “would,” “estimate,” or “continue,” or the negative or other variations thereof or comparable terminology are intended to identify forward looking statements. Investors are cautioned that all forward looking statements involve risk and uncertainties which may cause results to differ materially from those set forth in the statements. Such risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to the following: the success of research and development activities and the speed with which regulatory authorizations and product launches may be achieved; government regulation generally; competitive developments; the ability to successfully market products domestically and internationally; difficulties or delays in manufacturing or issues relating to manufacturing capacity; commercial obstacles to the successful introduction of brand products generally; legal defense costs, insurance expenses, settlement costs, and the risk of an adverse decision or settlement relating to product liability, patent protection, governmental investigations, and other legal proceedings; the Company’s ability to acquire and protect patents and other intellectual property both domestically and internationally; the absence of certainty regarding the receipt of required regulatory approval or the timing or terms of such approvals; any changes in business, political and economic conditions; business interruption due to hurricanes or other events outside of the Company’s control.

Investors are cautioned not to place reliance on these forward-looking statements, which are valid only as of the date they were made. The Company undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements to reflect new information or the occurrence of unanticipated events or otherwise, except as expressly required by law.

Contact:

Dr. Barry Libin  (516) 353‐7983, barlibin@gmail.com
Media Relations: info@newsfrontmedia.com

Getting Serious About BioEntrepreneurship in New York

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Center for Biotechnology BioEntrepreneur-in-Residence and Founder and CEO of Traverse Biosciences, Joseph Scaduto, recently penned a powerful article discussing the importance of human capital to the growth and sustainability of New York’s bioscience ecosystem.

“…the prospect of “jumping ship” into a new bioscience venture is not just risky, it is downright scary, if not financially impossible, exacerbated further by the frightening lack of alternative job opportunities in the high-probability event of failure. In my opinion, this seemingly insurmountable and geographic “barrier to entry,” defined by the comparatively excessive risk of bioentrepreneurship, is a primary reason why New York continues to struggle to develop, cultivate and grow a vibrant, dynamic and self-sustaining bioscience industry cluster.”

Read the full article here.

 

Codagenix Inks Exclusive License Agreement

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Codagenix, Inc. has entered into an exclusive licensing agreement with Stony Brook University, through the Research Foundation for the State of New York, to commercialize a platform technology to develop a pipeline of live attenuated vaccines against viral infections in people and animals. The technology relies on software to re-design the genomes of potentially harmful viruses to make them safe and effective vaccines. The technology stems from research in the laboratory of Eckard Wimmer, PhD, Distinguished Professor in the Department of Molecular Genetics & Microbiology. The lead indication for vaccine development generated is a vaccine against Seasonal Influenza slated for Phase I human clinical trials in 2017.

Dr. Wimmer, along with Steffen Mueller, PhD, Codagenix President and Chief Science Officer, and J. Robert Coleman, PhD, Codagenix Chief Operating officer, worked as colleagues for years in Dr. Wimmer’s laboratory examining and experimenting with the genes of viruses. By collaborating with Stony Brook scientists Bruce Futcher, PhD, in the Department of Molecular Genetics & Microbiology, and Steven Skienna, PhD, in the Department of Computer Science, they discovered a way using gene manipulation and computer algorithms to “re-code” the genes of viruses. This re-coding process makes viruses extremely weak and thus ideal candidates as ultra-low dose attenuated vaccines.

The licensing agreement enables Codgenix to develop and potentially market next generation vaccines using software-based gene design and whole viral synthesis to create low-dose, attenuated virus vaccines. The company expects to use this design to first test its vaccine against influenza; however, there are plans for human testing of their Zika and other vaccine candidates. Codagenix is also in partnership with a large agricultural company to make vaccines using the technology for companion and agricultural animals.

The technology has been shown to be effective against numerous viruses including ZIka, Dengue, and RSV all of which are in preclinical testing. The development of this pipeline of vaccines can be seen in numerous scientific papers since 2008, including a paper in Science, PNAS, National Biotechnology and most recently in 2015 in MBIo.

Read Stony Brook University’s full press release here. 

Long Island Bioscience Hub Announces Additional Funded Projects

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Third round of grants awarded for the development of commercially promising biomedical innovations

The Center for Biotechnology at Stony Brook University, on behalf of the Long Island Bioscience Hub (LIBH), announced the recipients of the third round of funded projects under the Hub’s technology development and commercialization initiative. Funding for ten projects totaling $550,000 has been awarded to applicants from the Hub’s partner institutions. Partner institutions include Stony Brook University, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Brookhaven National Laboratory, and the Feinstein Institute for Medical Research at Northwell Health. Eighteen months after its establishment, the LIBH has already awarded more than $2M to faculty innovators.

The technology development awards made available by the LIBH are specifically aimed at growing a pipeline of commercially promising biomedical technologies that can be out-licensed for further development or serve as the foundation for new company formations in the region. There are two tiers of funding, each with the goal of accelerating technology development to reach a critical development inflection point. Feasibility awards ($50,000) are designed to rapidly test the feasibility of new ideas in a “fail-fast-or-proceed” format, or to add value to existing intellectual property leading to new market applications. Proof-of-Concept Awards ($100,000) provide targeted, milestone driven support for further development, testing, and analysis of existing intellectual property.

A wide range of disciplines are represented in the project awards this cycle including radiology, quantitative biology, biomedical engineering, chemistry, neurosurgery and cancer research. Nine Feasibility awards and one Proof of Concepts award have been funded this cycle. Projects awarded funding in this round include the development of radiotracers for use with PET scans to detect bacterial infections, specifically infective endocarditis (IE); a non-immune-based drug targeting amyloid ß-protein (Aß) for the treatment of mild Alzheimer’s disease; DNA nano-carrier platform technology for targeted anti-thrombotic drug delivery in prosthetic heart valve and mechanical circulatory support patients; A medical device utilizing electrical and software engineering in order to detect congenital heart disease in newborn children, and profiling the human immune system through machine learning and bioinformatics. The full list of funded projects can be found on the LIBH webpage.

“The latest announcement of funded project for the LIBH demonstrates the volume of innovation housed within partner institutes that is primed to be moved out of the academic lab and into the commercial sector in order to help patients” said Clinton T. Rubin, Ph.D., Distinguished Professor, Chair, Department of Biomedical Engineering, and Director, Center for Biotechnology. “It is exciting to witness our region’s innovators contemplating their research in ways they hadn’t before, and to see the vibrancy of the bioscience cluster on Long Island growing with each new project proposed.”

“Putting CSHL scientists together with HUB biotech entrepreneurs and industry reviewers is key to the successful translation of early stage ideas resulting from the basic research of Dr. Lingbo Zhang and Mickey Atwal, said Teri Willey, CSHL Vice President Business Development and Technology Transfer. “Zhang’s genetic research on myelodysplastic syndrome will be complimented by experience in medicinal chemistry. Similarly, Atwal’s work on developing therapeutics using physics and math to profile to the immune system will benefit from industry reviewers to guide it toward patient benefit.”

“The success of the Long Island Bioscience Hub demonstrates the value of creative partnerships in bringing medical solutions that help address patients’ needs from the research lab to the doctor’s office and the medical clinic. We are proud to be part of the Bioscience Hub’s success,” said Kevin J. Tracey, M.D., President and CEO of the Feinstein Institute.

The main goal of the LIBH is to foster the development of therapeutics, preventatives, diagnostics, devices and research tools emerging from LIBH partner institutions that address diseases within the NIH’s mission.

Download a PDF of the press release here.