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Company Background

AcuityBio is a preclinical stage company focused on the commercialization of the company’s unique biocompatible, biodegradable drug delivery platform technology to prevent post-surgical locoregional tumor recurrence in early-stage lung cancer patients. AcuityBio’s formation in 2010 stemmed from a collaboration between lung cancer thoracic surgeon Dr. Yolonda Colson (Brigham and Women’s Hospital) and Professor of Chemistry/Biomedical engineering Mark Grinstaff (Boston University). Together with Drs. Grinstaff and Colson, AcuityBio was co-founded in 2010 with CEO Jay Schwartz, Ph.D., and co-inventor of the technology and Director of Research, Jesse Wolinsky, Ph.D. AcuityBio currently has two full-time employees.

Technology Overview

AcuityBio has developed chemotherapy-eluting ABC Mesh™ based on their proprietary slow-release, biodegradable ABC Polymer™ for the prevention of locoregional lung cancer recurrence. It functions by delivering paclitaxel locally at a slow and predictable rate directly at the resection site following lung cancer tumor removal surgery. This maintains a localized high level of drug while minimizing side effects without affecting healing, which will result in better patient outcomes. AcuityBio is currently evaluating applying ABC MeshTM to select soft tissue orphan oncology indications that have a high recurrence rate. This will allow a shortened time through a first-in-human trial as an “orphan” indication and accelerated FDA approval. AcuityBio has developed ABC Mesh to the preclinical stage, focusing on Chemistry Manufacturing and Control, engineering, and securing key manufacturing and supplier CMO/CRO vendor relationships. 

Market Potential

Lung cancer is responsible for more deaths annually in the U.S. than breast, colorectal, and prostate cancers combined. Surgical removal of the tumor (resection) is the standard of care for early-stage lung cancer patients, yet lethal, locoregional tumor recurrence continues to afflict about half of the 50,000 patients per year who receive surgical treatment with curative intent. 

Each year in the U.S., 221,000 new lung cancer cases are reported. Roughly one-quarter of these patients (about 50,000/year in the U.S.) will be considered candidates for surgical resection (the standard of care). The cost to the health care system resulting from the 50 percent endemic cancer treatment failure in the U.S. alone is a staggering $1 to $2 billion per year. Other early stage cancers also suffer from high locoregional recurrence rates, including stage II colorectal cancer (50,000 patients) and breast cancer lumpectomy patients (71,000). Several soft tissue “orphan” oncology indications more than 50,000 patients per year.

Competitive Advantage

Existing drug-eluting polymer products on the market do not possess the properties that are required for the development of an ideal soft tissue compliant, biocompatible, biodegradable drug-eluting implant with tunable drug release. ABC Mesh has all these features. ABC Mesh is an easy-to-manufacture, widely applicable drug delivery platform, which can predictably and locally deliver insoluble and water-sensitive drugs to soft tissue for more than 50 days. The implant has already been proven to be biocompatible (ISO10993), biodegradable, and physically compliant and capable of slow, controlled drug delivery.

Financial Overview

AcuityBio has received almost $3 million in non-dilutive capital through NIH, SBIR Phase I and II, government and Coulter Foundation grants, which will be sufficient to advance their ABC MeshTM program to a first IND. The company seeks $3.5 million to help propel its first product through preclinical and to Phase I safety trials for early-stage non-small-cell lung cancer and to support the clinical development of its orphan drug first-in-human trials

Intellectual Property

AcuityBio has negotiated with Boston University and Brigham and Woman’s Hospital-Harvard/Partners to obtain exclusive world-wide rights to issued patent (U.S. 7,671,095) and three pending patents covering compositions and methods of use. The company has determined it will have a freedom to operate clear of prior art.

Commercialization Strategy

The value proposition of ABC Mesh is that it combines clinical differentiation, ease of use, and positive patient impact at lower overall cost per patient. Thoracic surgeons, hospital purchasing agents, group purchasing organizations will be the company’s main customers. Customers will be compelled to choose ABC Mesh because of its compelling clinical data, key opinion leader, and contract sales channels. 

Pipeline Products

ABC Mesh is a platform technology that has been specialized to deliver water-insoluble or water-sensitive drugs that are traditionally difficult to formulate for administration. The company can tune the drug release rate and the implant’s degradation rate depending on the application. AcuityBio is actively pursuing other clinical indications including orphan indication that would benefit from their localized delivery technology. 

Management Team

John ‘Jay’ Schwartz, Ph.D., Co-Founder, CEO, and Chairman, has more than 20 years in life sciences technology development. He was research faulty at MIT working on drug delivery, is experienced in private equity fundraising, and has succeeded in securing multiple U.S. government grants. He co-founded the venture-backed engeneOS, bought by ADNEXUS, which was acquired by Bristol-Myers Squibb in 2007. Jay received his Ph.D. in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology from New York Medical College and pursued postdoctoral work at Harvard and MIT in drug delivery, protein engineering, and cardiovascular medicine.

Jesse Wolinsky, Ph.D., Co-Founder and Director of Research, is a co-inventor of the ABC Mesh. He holds a doctorate in Biomedical Engineering from Boston University and a Bachelor of Science in Materials Science and Engineering from the University of Florida where he specialized in Polymer Chemistry.