2007 Life Sciences Investor Forum

(part of the California

Equity Capital Symposium Series)

This year’s 2007 Life Sciences Investor Forum was made up of 14 companies focused mainly in the medical device space. The showcase included a wide selection of the latest technologies including synthetic bone grafting materials, continuous fetal monitoring, and stabilizing therapeutic proteins. These companies were chosen in February and they immediately begin to work with TVC project managers to refine their business case, develop the business plan and package their funding proposal. After months of work, each entrepreneur had ten minutes to present the company’s business case to the assembled investors.

The 2007 Life Sciences Presenting companies were:

Acoustic Cytometry Systems  www.acousticyte.com
Acoustic Cytometry Systems (ACS) is commercializing revolutionary flow cytometry technology developed at Los Alamos National Laboratory.  Flow cytometry is a method for measuring the physical and chemical characteristics of cells or particles as they travel in suspension through a tightly focused beam of light.  The Companys breakthrough, patented acoustic focusing technology both improves the performance and lowers the cost of this pervasive measurement technique.  Acoustic focusing will lead to a new generation of proprietary flow cytometry applications in the $6.1B market for life science research and clinical diagnostics that is growing at 25% per year. Acoustic Cytometry Systems has raised $550K in seed funding through a convertible note from founders and investors, and $100K in regional economic development funding.  The company is seeking an additional $2M to fund the ongoing development of the first commercial instruments.

Contact: Dr. John Elling  (info@acousticyte.com)

AudioFocus   www.goldenmetallic.com
Contact: Dr. Hagai Attias   (415) 378-4268



Berkeley ExoWorks  www.berkeleyexoworks.com
Berkeley ExoWorks™ was founded to commercialize innovative exoskeleton technology developed at UC Berkeley using $15M of DOD funds.  These exoskeletons are bionic legs that assist a wearer in locomotion and support loads such as backpacks or the wearer’s weight.  There are extensive medical applications for ExoWorks’ technology including post-stroke gait training, rehabilitation, and, eventually, wheel chair replacement for the disabled.  Additionally, the exoskeletons have military and civilian applications where increased strength and endurance are required.  ExoWorks has received two government grants for orthotic and prosthetic applications, and has secured a medical industry investor/partner. ExoWorks is now seeking additional capital.

Contact: Hami Kazerooni  (510) 332-7058

Caldera   www.cpsci.com
Caldera Pharmaceutical is seeking equity financing to launch its label-free XRpro measurement system. Pharmaceutical development requires the measurent of drug-protein binding. Label-free systems that do not require chemical modification of the drug or protein are in particular demand. Caldera XRpro is the first completely label-free measurement system for binding assays and functional assays. The XRpro product line addresses the preclinical drug development market; product include instruments, reagents, and supplies.

Contact: Ben Warner  (505) 412-2345

Keimar   www.keimar.com

Contact: Tom Holdych  (650) 964-7355


MAAS BioLab  www.maasbiolab.com
Maas Biolab is a neuropharmaceutical company developing a treatment- the use of cyclosporins as neuroprotectants- for chronic neurodegenerative diseases including amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and Huntington's.  Maas Biolab’s intellectual property rights consist of "new use" patents and formulation patents for cyclosporin neuroprotection issued or pending in North America, Europe, and Asia. Cyclosporin displays powerful neuroprotective properties in neurodegeneration by preventing or reducing neuron cell death, by blocking critical enzymes and free radicals and protecting the mitochondria.  Pre-clinical studies show cyclosporin to be the most powerful known neuroprotectant in ALS with promise also in Alzheimer's, Huntington's, and Parkinson's diseases.

Contact: Michael Vickers  (505) 843-4230

Mercator MedSystems  www.mercatormed.com
Mercator MedSystems, Inc. is a medical device company establishing adventitial therapeutic delivery as a standard for treating multiple diseases through the commercialization of its proprietary catheter-guided periluminal infusion systems for site-specific drug delivery. Its 510(k)-cleared Bullfrog™ Micro-Infusion Catheter is designed to deliver therapeutics safely and reliably across any blood vessel or other lumen in the body to deep body tissues through a 130-micron needle. Adoption will be further facilitated by companies and independent researchers who have chosen to use the Bullfrog Catheter in the development of their proprietary therapeutics, which are enabled or improved by periluminal delivery.  

Contact: Tom Loarie  (510) 614-4550

RegeneMed   www.RegeneMed.com
RegeneMed leverages $8M in NIH small business grants, a 15-year management team that has commercialized three first-of-a-kind FDA-approved tissue products, and 35 issued US patents tissue engineered organs towards tissue products for drug discovery, diagnostics, biosensors, medical devices and tissue implants. The company is seeking a Series C investment of $2M to complement its Big Pharma and leading academic partnerships to bring its lead product, human liver tissue, to market and the company to profitability this year and $70M in revenues in year 3 by addressing the leading cause of drug failures, liver toxicity, for which pharma spends $3B annually.

Contact: Dawn Applegate  (858) 200-9530

Satyrne
Cranio maxillofacial (CMF) surgeries involving rigid internal fixation of jaw, face and skull fractures suffer from both high rates of complications and excessive operating room times.  Satyrne Biotechnologies is in development of a CMF fixation module containing highly differentiated fixation plate and screw systems that are designed using detailed biomechanical simulation models. Aligning its vision with the rules of general orthopedics, Satyrne is leveraging its technology to provide a module full of functionally superior implants that are minimally invasive upon the patient.  Satyrne is further leveraging its competencies to develop a patient customization software application, minimizing plate intrusion upon the patient and becoming the only CMF implant designer to demand its fixation systems satisfy physiological constraints for proper bone healing.  It is estimated that the population of U.S. hospitals could collectively save over $100 Million annually in a reduction of both complications and time in surgery using Satyrne CMF modules.  The company is seeking $1.6 Million to complete product development, FDA approval, and market introduction.  Satyrne looks to use its business model to further expand to other areas of trauma, including the fixation of distal radius fractures.     

Contact: Ryan Smith, VP of Marketing and Sales
1909 Gold Ave. SE
Albuquerque, NM 87106



Secure Packaging Systems www.sensorvial.com
SPS has engaged 2 marquee customers, BiogenIdec and Gilead, where pilot testing of our products are being conducted. In addition, numbers of prospects including Amgen have requested product samples. Philips, CheckPoint, Atmel, API and ANL Plastics are our existing business partners, and have been instrumental in supporting our business development.

Contact: Bertrand Teplitxky  (408) 255-0453

Standard Bio
Standard Bio will commercialize the world’s smallest standardized portable diagnostics system.  Smaller than a credit card, the Standard Bio cartridge includes a robust micro fluidics system that is pre loaded to perform any of thousands of important medical assays.  This revolutionary product will dramatically lower the barriers to enhanced medical care in both developed and under-developed markets.  

This company is poised for rapid growth with technical hurdles overcome, a strong team, and major customers eager for product.

Contact: David Kohls  (408) 472-1707

Trinity
Trinity Medical has developed a life saving medical device aimed at improving survivability in cardiac and respiratory arrest. The MCAD (mechanical cricoid application device) will replace the much needed hands of clinicians and provide a needed airway procedure that until now is currently being met by manual application. The MCAD is disposable and is being introduced to the American Heart Association for protocol implementation. The MCAD is a non-invasive device that anyone can apply.

Contact: Daniel Barela, President
129 El Pueblo Road NW
Albuquerque, NM 87114

TrueTrials   www.truetrials.com

TrueTrials accelerates clinical trials by transforming the way drug sponsors engage with research sites through a transparent rating system.

90% of all trials are delayed at a cost of $1M/day.  Failure for sponsors to select the right sites to enroll patients is the #1 reason for delays. The lack of transparency creates dynamics between sites and sponsors that lead to poor site selection and ineffective management.

Our company tracks the performance of research sites and transparently publishes the ratings on the Internet.  By creating accountability, we align the goals of both sides.  Sponsors have access to reliable information and sites have a clear link between performance and reward.  

Contact: Willie Kim  (650) 430-2430

West Coast Biologicals  www.westcoastbiologicals.com
West Coast Biologicals offers a unique platform for rapid creation of new vaccines by putting a target gene into a safe vector.  The company has strong intellectual property covering its novel adjuvant approach and offers the significant competitive advantages of the preferred oral delivery method, speed and manufacturing efficiency.

Contact: Dr. Mark Backer  (415) 839-3580

LLNL Tech Spotlight – BioRemstick

New capabilities for rapidly assessing an internalized radiation dose are needed to assist first responders in response to dirty bombs and industrial accidents.  We have achieved human proof-of-concept for a field deployable, novel radiation biodosimetry assay that utilizes biomarkers discovered at LLNL.  Biomarkers are robust, cost-effective, and provide rapid radiation dose assessment.  Our technology tests easily accessible biological samples (skin cells, blood cells, etc.) on a disposable lateral flow-based device in a few minutes.  The device also provides a platform for alternative protein detection assays, e.g. cancer diagnostics.

Contact: Genaro Mempin (925) 423-1121
 

Technology Ventures Corporation helps entrepreneurs create technology companies and finds qualified investors to fund them. TVC is a non-profit foundation funded by Lockheed Martin Corporation and the National Nuclear Security Administration. It has offices in Albuquerque, Santa Fe, Los Alamos, Las Cruces, New Mexico; Livermore, California, and Las Vegas, Nevada.