Author: Radhika Shah

Almost two-thirds of Americans living with Alzheimer’s disease are women. Women in their 60’s are more than twice as likely to develop this disease over the rest of their lives. Alzheimer’s disease is already such a perplexing disease and the reason why women develop the condition more than men is still not well understood. The biological differences, fluctuation in hormones, major life events can contribute to the risk factor of Alzheimer’s disease.  Many previous studies examining the sex and gender differences in Alzheimer’s Disease have recognized that women have higher levels of tau protein than in men. Tau protein is…

Last week, President and Co-Founder Sumayah Jamhal presented her company, ENB Therapeutics, at the 2023 Immuno-Oncology 360 Degree Conference in New York City. ENB Therapeutics is a clinical stage, privately held company creating therapies to treat drug resistant cancer by reprogramming the tumor microenvironment. Their lead product, ENB-003 is a first-in-class small molecule, selective endothelin receptor type B (ETBR) inhibitor. ENB-003 is currently in its’ phase 1 clinical trial with Merck. The ETBR is present on the luminal surface of tumor blood vessels which downregulate ICAM-1, an adhesion molecule. ENB-003, a ETBR blocker, restores ICAM-1 expression, which allows T-cells to…

Value-based care is the cornerstone of improved quality outcomes for patients. Treating patients is no longer just about fixing the primary problem but on making healthcare proactive by preventing problems before they start. Value-based programs have already been put in place to reward healthcare providers for the quality of care they give to patients and not the quantity of care resulting in better health populations and with lower costs of healthcare. Two women CEOs at the helm of the largest pharmacy chains, Walgreens and CVS, presented at this year’s JPMorgan healthcare conference to discuss what steps they are taking in 2023 to…

After a bullish 2021, characterized by a flow of M&A deals and IPOs, this year company valuations were in correction, financing was at a premium and deals slowed- all of which were most evident for early-stage companies. Still, in 2022, biotech continued to forge ahead as the leading driver of innovation and growth in biopharma. Venture capital made moves on indicative signals while fundamentals remained strong for big pharma to fuel (mostly moderate) M&A transactions and strategic partnerships critical to achieving biotech growth milestones. As we close out the year, we reflect on an industry that still performed with significant…

Smart Immune is a clinical-stage biotechnology startup headquartered in France, developing a thymus-empowered T-cell therapy platform called ProTcell Platform. The company’s mission is to fight cancer and infection by fully and rapidly re-arming the immune system. The ProTcell Platform is a pioneered, allogenic, thymus-empowered T-cell therapy platform. ProTcell reinvigorates the thymus by introducing healthy allogeneic T-cell progenitors into the patient. Through ex-vivo technology, Smart Immune can provide large numbers of T-cell progenitors from hematopoietic stem cells in only seven days. Under normal circumstances, this would take one year in the body. Once infused into the patient, the thymus then educates…

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) affects more than 1 in 7 U.S. adults and approximately 2 in 1,000 Americans live with end-stage kidney disease. Treatment for kidney failure is either receiving a kidney transplant or dialysis. Dialysis can be challenging for patients as it requires a significant time commitment. Patients are dealt with planning their daily life around their dialysis appointments which are usually 3 times a week and can last around 4 hours. Patients who require dialysis also may not have adequate means of transportation to the dialysis clinic. Due to these challenges, home dialysis is an emerging option for…

Hope for Patients Diagnosed with Rare, Aggressive Desmoid Fibromatosis Last month, SpringWorks Therapeutics announced their promising data from the Phase 3 DeFi trial evaluating Nirogacestat at the European Society of Medical Oncology Congress. SpringWorks Therapeutics founded by Lara Sullivan, Danielle Lynch, Stephen Squinito, Saqib Islam, and L. Mary Smith, is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company that takes a precision medicine approach to acquire, develop, and commercialize life-changing medicine. Their current focus is on patients with rare tumors, hematological cancers, and biomarker-defined metastatic solid tumors. Nirogacestat is an oral small molecule gamma-secretase inhibitor (GSI) in Phase 3 development for adult patients with…

More than half of the world population lacked access to essential health services even before the COVID-19 pandemic. People living in rural communities often have to travel far to the nearest medical center. The importance of preventative health care is essential and can eliminate the many consequential diseases that can occur. Some barriers to providing health care include a shortage of healthcare staff and difficulty getting into rural and forested areas. A solution to this problem that has been trialed in several countries is medical delivery drones. A drone is an unmanned ariel vehicle that can fly over long distances.…

June is recognized as World Infertility Awareness Month. As many as 48.5 million couples experience some form of infertility due problems related to female and male fertility. There are several current barriers to healthcare in women which include lack of awareness, cost, and gaps in medical training. Current fertility treatment options include in vitro fertilization (IVF), donor eggs, surrogacy, egg freezing, and hormone therapy. As awareness in infertility is increasing more employers recognizes the medical need for treatment and are offering fertility benefits. Below are six emerging startups focusing on women’s reproductive health to look out for in 2022: 1.…

Intra-Cellular Therapies ended the year 2021 with a big achievement. On December 20, 2021, Dr. Sharon Mates, Chairman, and CEO of Intra-Cellular Therapies announced the FDA approval of their medication, CAPLYTA. CAPLYTA (lumateperone) is currently the only medication approved to treat depressive disorders associated with bipolar I or bipolar II as monotherapy and in adjunct with lithium or valproate. Intra-Cellular Therapies is a biopharmaceutical company headquartered in New York focusing treatment of complex psychiatric and neurologic diseases such as schizophrenia, bipolar depression, major depressive disorder, and Parkinson’s disease. The recent FDA approval makes this Intra-Cellular Therapies’ second approved indication for…

LambdaVision is a biotech company, that is designing and developing a protein-based artificial retina. This retina will utilize a light-activated protein, bacteriorhodopsin to restore function sight to those who are blind due to retinal degenerative diseases, including age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and retinitis pigmentosa (RP).

In 2021, Cognition Therapeutics completed two important clinical study trials. The first was SNAP which measured the displacement of amyloid beta oligomers into the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). This study confirmed the mechanism of action of their lead candidate CT1812. CT1812 is orally delivered and designed to bind selectively to the sigma-2 receptor complex to restore damaged cellular processes. The second trial, SPARC, showed evidence that CT1812 slowed brain atrophy in mild-to-moderate Alzheimer patients. Currently, there are 7 ongoing clinical trials with CT1812. Cognition Therapeutics has also achieved over $117 million in funding from the National Institute on Aging. Lisa Ricciardi, CEO, and president of Cognition Therapeutics reported, “2021 was a transformative year for Cognition Therapeutics. We completed our IPO, secured significant additional non-dilutive funding, and progressed our pipeline creating a product portfolio in addition to our lead candidate CT1812.”

Scientists are exploring the effects of epigenetic modifications and errors on gene function, protein production, and human health.Epigenetic modification opens many doors to new classes of therapeutics. Autoimmune disorders are many times caused by genetic mutations which behave similarly to the epigenome. Developing drugs that can manipulate epigenomic errors will offer a promising cure for cancer and other autoimmune diseases.Currently, companies like Chroma, Vertex, Twenty-Eight Seven are making great advances in epigenetic therapy.

EpiBone’s groundbreaking technology revolves around the bioreactor. Over 20 years of research and experience, the bioreactor was made to cultivate a nourishing and supportive environment for bone scaffolds to grow in. This three-step process consists of imaging and stem cell extraction, graft and bioreactor design, and finally bone growth. Using a CT scan, the exact 3D size and shape of the bone for the patient are determined.

With immense participation from companies dedicating their resources to finding a cure for Covid-19, Aetion has recently partnered with the FDA to use their Evidence Platform to better explore the history of the disease and integrate real world evidence in finding the best treatment. This collaboration will produce fast and real-time results in a time-sensitive situation. With over hundreds of Covid-19 treatments and vaccines in trial, Aetion will be able to use their Evidence Platform to categorize patients, prescribed medications, and adverse effects, then create statistical analysis to decide on the best treatment per patient group. Aetion, headquartered in New York…

Starting a challenging role while under the circumstances of a global pandemic, Kathryn Schubert was announced President and CEO of the Society for Women’s Health Research (SWHR) on April 1, 2020. Paving the way for women representation, Schubert will be succeeding after Dr. Amy Miller who has led the organization as President and CEO for three years. Schubert started her role on April 27, 2020 and is excited to be working with the team and Board of Directors to create a strategic plan to fulfill their vision of normalizing women’s health research. In the heart of DC, SWHR advocates for…

Dr. Marie Badalemente is a current professor of Orthopaedics at Stony Brook University and a member of the National Academy of Inventors. Her research focuses on studying and developing alternative non-invasive treatment options. Her research on collagenase clostridium histolyticum (CCH) was the first FDA-approved non-surgical injection treatment for Dupuytren’s contracture, Xiaflex. Collagenase for treating cellulite The invention discovered the effectiveness of collagenase in treating cellulite in humans. By injecting sufficient amounts of collagenase, the injections are able to lyse the collagen network of cellulite and eliminate the appearance of cellulite on the skin. These collagenase injections are also presented to…

Dr. Cory Abate-Shen is the current chair of the Department of Pharmacology and Professor of Urology, Medicine, Systems Biology and Pathology and Cell Biology at Columbia University Irving Medical Center. She received her Ph.D. from Cornell University Medical College. Her research focuses on the changes of gene expression and cell identity during cancer initiation. Dr. Abate-Shen has served as director of the Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center and has been selected as an American Cancer Society Research Professor. Method and Composition for Diagnosis or Treatment of Aggressive Prostate Cancer The invention recognizes methods, pharmaceutical formulation and medicament for treating and…

Dr. Kathryn Uhrich is currently the Dean of the College of Natural and Agricultural Sciences at University of California, Riverside. She obtained her undergraduate degree in Chemistry at University of North Dakota and her Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry at Cornell University. Her research focuses on creating bioactive and biodegradable polymers for use in drug delivery, food safety and personal care. She is current editor-in-chief of Journal of Bioactive and Compatible Polymers. She has been awarded Fellow of National Academy of Inventors, American Chemical Society, and Controlled Released Society. Therapeutic Polyesters and Polyamides Therapeutic Polyesters and Polyamides is the creation of…

Dr. Helen Lu is currently the Vice Chair and Professor of Biomedical Engineering at Columbia University. She obtained her undergraduate and graduate degrees in Bioengineering from University of Pennsylvania. Her research focuses on Orthopedic Tissue Interface Engineering to achieve successful soft-tissue repairs in the long-term. Dr. Lu is affiliated with the Orthopaedic Research Society, Society for Biomaterials, Tissue Engineering International and Regenerative Medicine Society, Biomedical Engineering Society, and American Association for the Advancement of Science. She currently is an associated editor for IEEE Transactions on Biomedical Engineering and has also served on the editorial board of several journals, Tissue Engineering,…