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Company Background

BioMarker Strategies was founded in 2006 by Dr. Douglas Clark, a Professor of Pathology at Johns Hopkins, to improve the treatment of cancer by developing first-in-class, live-tumor-cell-based predictive tests to guide targeted drug therapy selection. Today the company is based at the Johns Hopkins Science + Technology Park and employs 10 people. BioMarker Strategies has successfully developed the SnapPath™ testing platform, and is engaged in pre-clinical and clinical studies with two major academic medical centers. 

Technology Overview

The SnapPath biomarker testing system is an automated live-tumor-cell processing platform that enables next-generation, ex vivo biomarker tests to guide targeted drug therapy selection. A small portion of a patient’s live tumor (from a biopsy or surgical excision) is placed into a disposable cartridge and inserted into the SnapPath instrument. The SnapPath uses onboard robotics and fluid handling systems to expose a patient’s live tumor cells to drugs and/or growth factors to evoke a phosphoprotein-based Functional Signaling Profile (FSP) of the signal transduction network that is not possible using static biomarkers from dead, fixed tissue. These FSPs generated by the SnapPath device can be utilized by oncologists to guide targeted therapy for cancer patients. To date, the company completed proof-of-mechanism studies with human melanoma samples using a prototype device, produced and verified several SnapPath alpha units, and placed two of alpha units at academic medical centers for clinical research studies.

Market Potential 

With approximately 1.5 million solid tumor cancer patients in the U.S., the total addressable market for live-tissue testing exceeds $5 billion, assuming value-based reimbursement. Within this population, the initial target markets include: 

• Melanoma (BRAF V600E)
• Lung carcinoma (EGFR wt)
• Colorectal carcinoma (KRAS wt)
• Breast (Triple Negative) 
• Renal cell carcinoma 

Competitive Advantage 

Most current molecular profiling strategies rely on the analysis of static DNA or protein-based biomarkers, but this tells little about the actual functioning of the complex signal transduction network within tumor cells. By interrogating living solid tumor cells from cancer patients using the SnapPath testing platform, the resultant predictive tests will contain novel information content — such as pathway bypass mechanisms and feedback loops — that will enable oncologists to select better targeted therapies, including drug combinations, for their patients. 

Financial Overview 

To date, BioMarker Strategies has obtained the following funding:

• $9 million from private investors 
• $2.3 million SBIR Fast Track Phase I/II contract for SnapPath instrumentation development
• $200,000 Phase I SBIR contract for companion diagnostic development 
• Additional funding from the Federal Therapeutic Discovery Tax Credit Program, MD TEDCO, and Johnson & Johnson

BioMarker Strategies is currently seeking investors for an initial institutional investment round of $7 million to achieve the early-stage commercialization goals outlined below.

Intellectual Property 

BioMarker Strategies is using a combination of patent filings, trade secrets, and trademarks to protect its proprietary interest in the SnapPath testing system. To date, the company has filed three patent applications that focus on the platform, the process of ex vivo stimulation, and the resultant ex vivo test content. 

Commercialization Strategy 

The company’s long-term commercialization strategy is focused on developing SnapPath-deployed predictive tests to guide therapy for solid-tumor cancer patients in the U.S., Europe, and Asia. BioMarker Strategies will use the following steps to bring its products to market: 

• Early-stage commercialization
• Place first-generation SnapPath units at comprehensive cancer centers 
• Achieve 510(k) approval for the platform
• Expand academic and pharma collaborations 

Later-stage commercialization 

• Increase SnapPath placements at additional cancer centers
• Expand sales and marketing infrastructure
• Validate and clinically qualify tests
• Establish Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments (CLIA) lab and launch Laboratory Developed Tests (LDTs)
• Transition LDTs to pre-market approval (PMA) 

Pipeline Products 

BioMarker Strategies’ proof-of-concept studies have focused on characterizing resistance to BRAF inhibitors in advanced melanoma. This will be followed by the development and launch of tests to guide targeted drug use in larger markets such as non-small-cell lung, colorectal, breast, and renal cell carcinomas. Given the ability to test specific drugs in the device, SnapPath also has the potential to become a platform to improve early drug development, provide more effective clinical trial design through patient stratification, and enable companion diagnostics. To this end, the company was awarded a SBIR grant in September 2011, to support the development of a pathway-based companion diagnostic test to use in conjunction with the SnapPath platform. 

Management Team 

Douglas Clark, M.D., Chief Medical Officer/Acting CEO, is an entrepreneur and a Professor of Pathology at The Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions, who brings over 20 years of experience in diagnostic pathology, laboratory management, and biomarker discovery. 

Scott Allocco, co-founder, brings 15 years of business development, pharmaceutical drug management, and public-sector reimbursement experience to the company, having most recently served as the Vice President of State Government Affairs and Business Development for Coventry Health Care. 

Adam Schayowitz Ph.D., MB A, Senior Director of Operations and Business Development, brings nearly a decade of experience in tumor cell biology with a focus in targeted cancer therapeutics, preclinical, and early clinical drug development, and leads the company’s strategic partnerships and collaborations with external collaborators.

Board of Directors: Glenn Miller, Ph.D., Chairman, VP/Head of Personalized Medicine at AstraZeneca; Dr. Samuel Broder, former Director of the National Cancer Institute; Dr. Paul Beresford, VP of Business Development at Biodesix and former VP of Translational Diagnostics at Ventana Medical Systems; Skip Klein, Managing Member at Gauss Capital Advisory and founder of the T. Rowe Price Health Sciences Fund; and Christy Wyskiel, former Managing Director at Maverick Capital and Life Sciences Equity Analyst at T. Rowe Price.

Company Background

Michael Curley, Ph.D., and Patrick Hamilton, Ph.D., incorporated Thermedical in Delaware in 2008 to develop, manufacture, and sell thermal therapy devices. They have been collaborating since they met at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Hyperthermia Center, and they have a unique and detailed understanding of biologic heat transfer. The company has seven employees.

Technology Overview

Thermedical’s first product, SERF Ablation therapy for liver cancer, has a 510(k) application pending with the FDA. Thermedical is taking a revolutionary approach to tumor thermal ablation by altering the physics of heat transfer in tissue. SERF Ablation transports thermal energy deep into tissue using convection of warm saline, which carries the heat through the extracellular space. The tissue is transformed from having the insulating properties of wood to conducting heat as efficiently as bronze. Radiofrequency (RF) energy then heats the transformed tissue, and can thereby treat 100 times the volume of tissue that conventional RF can heat. Thermedical has demonstrated that SERF Ablation can treat an 8-cm diameter liver tumor in five minutes.

Market Potential

SERF Ablation for Liver Cancer will extend a treatment therapy for small tumors—RF Ablation—to the 80 percent of patients with tumors larger than 3 cm. The 1.3 million patients annually diagnosed with these large tumors have no cure available to them and live less than one year. This market is significant, with $1.8 billion spent annually on palliative therapies for these patients.

The markets for follow-on products are even more substantial. SERF Ablation will be curative for Ventricular Tachycardia (VT), and will be a disruptive technology for the $7 billion Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator market. SERF Ablation for fibroids is an alternative to hysterectomy and may restore fertility in the 300,000 women who present with fibroids annually in the U.S. 

Competitive Advantage

Thermedical’s competitive advantage is their expertise on biologic heat transfer and their techniques for increasing heat transfer in tissue. Tissue does not conduct heat well, so existing ablation systems overheat tissue near the energy applicators. These products create hot-spots, islands of therapy in a sea of untreated tissue. SERF Ablation addresses the source of the problem. Warm saline transport increases the heat transfer capacity of tissue by a factor of more than 20, and can quickly and uniformly heat very large volumes of tissue — up to 8 cm diameter — using a single RF applicator. SERF Ablation is uniquely capable of treating conditions that require ablation of large volumes of tissue.

Financial Overview

Thermedical has been funded through NCI and NHLBI grants ($9.0 million) and a grant from the Massachusetts Life Sciences Center ($500,000). With these funds the company has brought SERF Ablation to a 510(k) application. Thermedical has just received its Series A investment from Dr. Samuel H. Maslak, the founder and former CEO of Acuson, the pioneering developer of modern ultrasound imaging systems, acquired by Siemens in 2001. These funds will be used for expanded regulatory clearances. Thermedical seeks funds for human clinical trials of their liver cancer ablation system.

Intellectual Property

Thermedical’s technique is protected by U.S. Patent #6,328,735. The company has filed four additional patents and two trademarks.

Commercialization Strategy

Thermedical will sell direct in the U.S., building a strong training program to ensure that physicians understand the technology. The company will use this approach in Europe for product introduction, but will shift to distributors once the product is established. Thermedical plans to use distributors in the rest of the world. 

Pipeline Products

New SERF Ablation therapies will be built around the company’s SERF Ablation system, which can be used to treat a variety of conditions using therapy-specific applicators. The SERF Ablation system and needle for treating liver cancer are undergoing FDA 510(k) review. The company has also completed a preclinical prototype of their VT ablation catheter, which is undergoing successful preclinical testing. The gynecological application for treating fibroids is in design development. Clinical collaborators for all three applications are enthusiastic about bringing these new tools into the clinic.

Management Team

Michael Curley, Ph.D., President, is the inventor of SERF Ablation Therapy. Dr. Curley previously founded Acuson’s Interventional Devices Business Unit and was its Vice President and General Manager with full profit and loss responsibility. He invented the AcuNav™ Diagnostic Ultrasound Catheter and led its successful introduction to the electrophysiology and interventional cardiology markets; the AcuNav has accumulated more than $1.0 billion in sales to date. His graduate research focused on thermal therapy for cancer. He holds S.B., S.M, and Ph.D. degrees from MIT.

Katharine M. Stohlman, Chief Operating Officer and VP Regulatory and Clinical Affairs was VP of QA and Regulatory Affairs for Viacor, Inc., from 2002 to 2011 and held operational management positions with HP Medical Products Group from 1983 to 2002, with direct reports of more than 200 employees. She holds an S.B. from MIT and an MBA from Harvard Business School.

Patrick S. Hamilton, Ph.D., Founder and VP Engineering, has considerable experience designing and implementing hardware and software for diagnostic and therapeutic medical systems. Dr. Hamilton holds an S.B. from MIT and M.S. and Ph.D. degrees from the University of Wisconsin.

Company Background

ApoCell, Inc., was founded in 2004 by Darren W. Davis to commercialize biomarker technologies that monitor the effectiveness of cancer drugs by measuring biomarker expression patterns in tumor biopsy specimens. ApoCell provides molecular analytical services supporting clinical trials for pharmaceutical/biotechnology companies, government, and academia. The company mission is to be in the forefront of scientific and technological developments for providing highly effective molecular diagnostic services and products to significantly improve the treatment and outcomes for people afflicted with cancer and other chronic diseases. ApoCell scientists have investigated and developed laboratory techniques that provide highly accurate mechanistic, predictive, and prognostic cancer information. 

ApoCell has seen continued growth in revenue from its service business since its inception. In 2011, ApoCell made the Inc. Magazine’s 500/5000 list with more than a 400 percent growth rate over the past three years and ranked the 13th fastest growing company in Houston, Texas. ApoCell has 41 employees and continues to hire additional staff to support the continued growth of its service and product development businesses. 

Technology Overview

The ApoStream™ system uses dielectrophoresis field-flow fractionation (DEP-FFF) technology to capture rare circulating tumor cells (CTCs) from blood. Growing evidence suggests that capture of CTCs from a blood sample may allow reliable early detection and molecular characterization of cancer for diagnosis or relapse and provide a minimally invasive method to guide and monitor the efficacy of cancer therapy. CTCs represent a potential alternative to tumor biopsy as a real-time ‘liquid biopsy’ and have been shown to be a prognostic indicator of survival. 

The ApoStream™ point-of-care (POC) is currently in the alpha prototype stage and will be launched as a Research Use Only Device (RUO) in the fall of 2012. ApoCell anticipates the final POC device will become a foundational platform for several next-generation diagnostics based on molecular profiling of CTCs for tailoring patient-specific therapy. 

Market Potential

A report by BCC Research indicates that the total global annual market for next-generation cancer diagnostics was $776 million in 2010, and is growing at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 47 percent, to reach a forecast market size of $5.3 billion in 2015. Current clinical applications of CTCs have been shown to predict overall survival in breast, prostate, and colorectal cancer.

Competitive Advantage

The ApoStream™ rare cell capture technology is an improved approach from current marketed technology, in that it is the first device that enables antibody-free capture of viable cancer cells from a wide range of human cancers, including non-epithelial cancers or cancers with low or negative epithelial expression. The captured cells are not modified (no labeling or fixing) thereby enabling the cancer cells to be cultured and allowing RNA/DNA and protein analysis for complete cell characterization. 

ApoStream’s ability to capture viable, unlabeled CTCs from cancer patients will contribute to significant improvement for diagnosis, prognosis, and discovery of biomarkers associated with cancer progression and treatment, thereby advancing the clinical application of personalized medicine.

Financial Overview

Currently, ApoCell has funded the majority of its operations from its pharmaceutical and clinical trial services business. 

In 2009, a private equity investment of $5 million was raised for the development/commercialization of the ApoStream technology, and to expand the capabilities of the services business. 

In January of 2010, ApoCell was awarded a $2.9 million contract from the NCI/SAIC for development and delivery of 12 alpha research use only (RUO) prototypes along with several pre-clinical diagnostic applications. Subsequently, a SBIR Phase I grant for $200,000 was awarded to begin conversion of the RUO device into a clinical POC device.

ApoCell is currently looking for $10 to $15 million to further implement the technology into the ApoCell research services business and to fund the next development and commercialization stage of the ApoStream POC device.

Intellectual Property

ApoCell has an exclusive license from the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center to commercialize the ApoStream technology. There are five patent families and 22 patents included in the license agreement. In addition, the company continues to file its own intellectual property (IP) and has several agreements with major pharma/biotech companies that permit ApoCell additional diagnostic rights. 

Commercialization Strategy

ApoCell plans to establish strategic partnerships with companies that can provide appropriate distribution channels for each stage of the device. Discussions are ongoing with several larger companies to target the RUO and clinical in vitro diagnostics (IVD) markets.

ApoStream will be rolled out in the following three phases during its development: 

• Research Only Device (RUO) – Academic, pharma/biotech research environment, and fee-for-service work
• Clinical Sample Device (IUO) – Internal services, diagnostics development, and analytical instruments markets
• In Vitro Diagnostic Device (IVD) – For use as a clinical instrument providing diagnostic assays

Pipeline Products

The ability to capture viable CTCs from various cancer types will allow researchers to culture these rare cells to advance scientific knowledge, including discovery of novel drug targets on these metastatic cells. Further, capturing adequate numbers of CTCs will allow for RNA/DNA molecular characterization and protein expression analysis.

Management Team

Darren W. Davis, Ph.D., President and CEO/CSO, is a world-recognized cancer researcher who has published 40 scientific articles and edited the book Antiangiogenic Cancer Therapy. 

David K. Hasegawa, M.S., is Vice President of Product Development. 

Kenna Anderes, Ph.D., is Vice President of Scientific Affairs.

Glen A. Ferguson, MBA, is Vice President of Molecular Biomarkers.

Jim M. Walther, MBA, is Vice President of ApoStream Business Development and Strategic Partnerships. 

Natalie Gassen, C.P.A., is Chief Financial Officer.

Vlada Melnikova, M.D., Ph.D., is Director of Molecular Biology.

Company Background

Guided Therapeutics, Inc. (OTCBB & OTCQB: GTHP) is developing a rapid and painless testing platform for the early detection of cancer based on its patented biophotonic technology. Guided was founded in 1994 and went public via an IPO in 1997 as SpectRx, Inc. The company is the developer of the BiliChek® Non-invasive Bilirubin Analyzer, which uses spectroscopy to measure bilirubin in infants. That product is now sold by Philips Medical. The company changed its name to Guided Therapeutics in 2007 to focus on developing its cancer detection platform. Guided Therapeutics has 38 employees. 

Technology Overview

LuViva is a diagnostic device that scans the cervix with light and uses spectroscopy to measure how light interacts with the cervical tissue. Spectroscopy identifies chemical and structural indicators of precancer that may be below the surface of the cervix or misdiagnosed as benign. Unlike Pap, HPV tests, or biopsies, LuViva does not require laboratory analysis or a tissue sample, and is designed to provide results immediately, which eliminates costly, painful, and unnecessary testing. LuViva is currently approved for use in Canada and is under PMA review in the U.S. and CE mark review in the European Union.

Market Potential

LuViva is designed for use in women who have undergone initial Pap test screening and are called back for follow up with a colposcopy examination, which in many cases, involves taking a biopsy of the cervix followed by histopathological examination of the biopsy specimen. LuViva is designed to triage patients to help physicians determine if a woman should undergo a colposcopy exam. About 55 million American women undergo Pap tests with 5 percent to 10 percent requiring follow up. The device is used in conjunction with the LuViva® Cervical Guide single-use patient interface and calibration disposable.

Competitive Advantage

LuViva’s advantages over existing methods include immediate results, no painful tissue samples and no lab-based infrastructure required. In addition to detecting precancer up to two years earlier than the current standard of care, LuViva has been shown to reduce the number of unnecessary procedures.

Financial Overview

In addition to grants from NCI, the company raises additional funding through partnering, contract work and the sale of equity. In 2011, the company raised $6.2 million through these methods. Since its inception in 1993, the company has raised approximately $78 million. The company anticipates requiring approximately $3 to $5 million for an initial product launch.

Intellectual Property

Guided Therapeutics has 16 issued patents pertaining to the technology platform.

Commercialization Strategy

In the U.S., Guided Therapeutics plans a mix of dedicated sales force and selected regional distributors. Internationally, the company is employing country-specific or regional distributors with an established presence in the gynecological market.

Pipeline Products

Guided Therapeutics has entered into a partnership with Konica Minolta Opto to develop a non-invasive test for early esophageal cancer in patients with Barrett’s Esophagus using the biophotonic technology platform.

Management Team

Mark L. Faupel, Ph.D., President, Chief Executive Officer and Director has more than 25 years of experience as a senior executive developing non-invasive alternatives to surgical biopsies and blood tests, especially in the area of cancer screening and diagnostics. Prior to coming to SpectRx in 1998 as Vice President of Business Development and then co-founding Guided Therapeutics, Dr. Faupel was a senior executive and co-founder of Biofield Corp. In 2007, he became President and CEO of Guided Therapeutics.

Richard L. Fowler, Sr. Vice President, Engineering is responsible for identifying new technical and business opportunities for Guided Therapeutics. These opportunities include new technologies, product lines, or business acquisitions that are strategic to the company's business. Mr. Fowler was formerly VP of Engineering at Guided Therapeutics where he oversaw the successful development of the BiliChek® Non-invasive Bilirubin Analyzer.

Shabbir Bambot, Ph.D. Vice President, Research and Development, is a co-founder of Guided Therapeutics. He has 20 years of experience in developing medical diagnostic products and is co-inventor of the technology behind the company’s cancer diagnostic products. He currently manages the development of the company’s esophageal cancer surveillance product in partnership with Konica Minolta Opto, Japan.

Company Background

Oncoscope, founded in June 2006 by Dr. Adam Wax, employs optical imaging technologies developed at Duke University. Oncoscope has been supported by grants from NCI, NIH, the National Science Foundation, and the Wallace H. Coulter Foundation. The company resides in Durham, N.C., maintains eight full-time employees, and manages close relationships with Duke University and regional service providers.

Technology Overview

Oncoscope develops diagnostic devices that use proprietary a/LCI optical technology to locate abnormal epithelial tissue, where 85 percent of all cancers begin. These devices are fast, accurate, non-invasive, and allow real-time examination of large tissue areas in vivo. They detect early pre-cancerous dysplasia, a breakthrough over existing diagnostic methods, and have demonstrated 100 percent sensitivity in human studies to date. These devices leverage the biological premise that the primary early marker of cancer examined by pathologists is enlarged cell nuclei. The system examines scattered light to determine average cell nuclei size using a technology called angle-resolved low coherence interferometry (a/LCI). Oncoscope’s first product targets the rapid in vivo identification of pre-cancerous tissue in the esophagus during standard esophageal endoscopy. The device consists of a base unit, a probe compatible with current esophageal endoscopes, and a disposable single-use probe cover. The company has collected clinical pilot data from over 200 patients and is presently preparing for its pivotal trial for FDA approval.

Market Potential

More than 12 million invasive biopsy procedures costing $25 billion are performed annually in the U.S. to detect cancerous epithelial tissue. Many cancers cannot be reliably detected at early stages with current techniques. For example, early detection in esophageal cancer could significantly improve the abysmal nearly 95 percent mortality rate. The esophagus is of particular concern given an estimated 43 million adults with Gastro-Esophageal Reflux Disease, 10 percent of which develop Barrett’s Esophagus leading to an estimated 16,000 cases of esophageal cancer and 15,000 deaths annually. Oncoscope’s device targets 1.6 million annual esophageal endoscopy procedures, each averaging 35 randomly selected biopsies. Oncoscope’s first product addresses this market by: (1) improving accuracy in the early detection of dysplasia, (2) eliminating unnecessary biopsies, (3) decreasing procedure time and cost, and (4) combining diagnosis with immediate treatment. 

Competitive Advantage

Of the many different cancer detection technologies in use or in development, none employ a/LCI or other proprietary technologies used by Oncoscope. Only two of the many devices attempting to detect epithelial cancer can see early stage growth. Of these, only Oncoscope examines deep tissue layers where cancer begins, works in real time, is non-invasive, does not require patient pre-treatment with a contrast agent, and does not require a pathologist to interpret the data.

Financial Overview

Oncoscope has been funded by SBIR grants and $5.1 million in equity financing. The company is looking to raise a $10.0 million series B to support U.S. and EU regulatory approval, product validation, manufacturing development, clinical trial support for regulatory filings, and commercial product launch.

Intellectual Property

Oncoscope has three issued patents and has developed six patent families directed to devices and methods for various optical systems. The first two cover key innovations for determining cell nuclei size in multiple tissue layers from a single data collection event using scattered light. Broad patent claims have been recently issued by the USPTO for the core technology involved in determining cell nuclear size.

Commercialization Strategy

Oncoscope will focus on marketing a product and the procedure in which the product is employed with a small, dedicated, and focused sales force. A key objective is to expand to both the earlier stage of lower risk patient monitoring and later-stage treatment. Physician customers are interested in assessing Oncoscope’s a/LCI device to improve detection and treatment in all stages of cancer. The company plans to capture as much of these investigations as possible in a number of clinical studies aimed at expanding the clinical range of use for Oncoscope’s a/LCI. On the therapeutic end of the clinical spectrum, studies will be pursued to evaluate the utility of “see-treat” methods and for post-ablation margin analysis. Thus, the initial marketing will entail an active parallel development program to capture the array of clinical use concept testing that will inevitably occur once physicians have access to a powerful new tool that provides critical insight on the condition of tissue.

Pipeline Products

Oncoscope’s device is applicable to screening for a wide spectrum of cancers with little adaptation. The company is exploring product development opportunities in colon IBD, cervix, and gastric cancers. Additionally, Oncoscope is developing product enhancements for wide area and trans-nasal scanning to further improve screening paradigms.

Management Team

Perry A. Genova, Ph.D., CEO, is a serial entrepreneur, who has held Global VP positions with GSK, KOS. He has more than 25 years developing medical devices and drug products.

Adam Wax, Ph.D., CTO, is Professor of biomedical engineering at Duke. He is a recognized biophotonics expert.

Micki Lew, Director Regulatory Affairs has significant domestic and foreign experience in clinical operations.