| They call it the "Valley of
Death" – that high-risk stage when a "discovery"
moves from the laboratory, to the patent office, to clinical trials,
and finally to patients. CGDN is providing critical support that
is helping start-ups navigate this rocky road.
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CGDN helps bring "the pill" to men
Dr. Grant Mitchell wasn't looking to develop
a contraceptive pill for men. Since 1990, his CGDN-supported
research focused on pediatric genetic diseases characterized
by an inability to metabolize fat in the normal way.
Unexpectedly, Dr. Mitchell discovered that a gene
known to play an important role in fat metabolism also
plays a critical role in the development of sperm.
RecepTide Pharmaceuticals Inc., a new Vancouver start-up
company, is now building on that research to develop
a non-hormonal male contraceptive pill.
CGDN has been involved since the beginning. It helped
Dr. Mitchell and his colleagues at l'Hôpital
Sainte-Justine in Montreal in filing a patent. CGDN
also awarded Dr. Mitchell $60,000 from its Strategic
Grant program to develop a test (assay) that would enable
the identification of synthetic compounds that could
be used as a male pill.
Next, CGDN formed RecepTide to further develop the
technology. It then assembled a who's who from the Canadian
life sciences community to bring credibility to the
young company. They include former CGDN board member
Dr. Mark Pearson, a renowned medical geneticist
who started his career at the University of Toronto
and has launched two major biotech start-up companies.
CGDN also brought aboard Dr. Robert Sindelar,
the dean of pharmaceutical sciences at the University
of British Columbia, and Ed Levy, former senior executive
with the biotechnology company QLT Inc.
"CGDN uses its track record, its network, and
its credibility to help companies during the early stages
of their development," says Dr. Ron Woznow,
CEO of CGDN. "We now have three key people on RecepTide's
board who can pick up the phone and venture capitalists
are going to listen to their story."
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Aegera Therapeutics Inc. is a rising star on the global biotechnology
scene. With $20 million in new funding, the Montreal start-up
launched Phase 1 clinical trials in March 2004 of a new drug candidate
that could prolong the lives of cancer patients with advanced tumours.
It's a promising new therapeutic that might never have left
the lab without some critical funding and management support from
the Canadian Genetic Diseases Network (CGDN).
Aegera is commercializing technology developed by Drs. Robert
Korneluk and Alex MacKenzie of the Children's Hospital of Eastern
Ontario. The two geneticists, with ongoing CGDN support, identified
a family of genes that is responsible for programmed cell death,
or apoptosis, in humans. This fundamental research is fuelling Aegera's
efforts to develop therapeutics that kill cancer cells by inducing
apoptosis, rescue neurons from cell death, and implant stem cells
to restore function.
The initial discoveries were promising, but far too early in the
development pipeline to attract serious interest from venture capitalists.
Investors want to see much more than an innovative idea or even
a discovery. They want protected intellectual property, a strong
management team, and a clearly defined target market.
"Research funding usually dries up once a discovery is made,"
explains Dr. Ron Woznow, CEO of CGDN. "So what do you
do? You need money to do the additional experiments to strengthen
your intellectual property. This is a black hole that exists within
the commercialization process."
CGDN moved aggressively to deal with this gap in 1994 with the
launch of its Strategic Grant program, the first program of its
kind in Canada. Drs. Korneluk and MacKenzie were among the
beneficiaries, receiving $50,000 to do the additional research required
for proof-of-principle and the protection of patent claims. CGDN
also leveraged its contacts in the Canadian life sciences community
to assemble a high-profile interim management team, help secure
start-up capital, and launch a new company to study the therapeutic
potential of apoptosis control.
In addition, CGDN made its national network of core research facilities
available to Drs. Korneluk and MacKenzie. "If CGDN members
are in a race to protect a patent, these researchers can get preferential
treatment for the use of our core facilities across the country,"
says Dr. Woznow.
Apoptogen Inc. was launched in 1995 with $8.5 million in seed funding
provided by CDP Capital-Technology Ventures, Canadian Medical Discoveries
Fund, Neuroscience Partners Limited Partnership, and Working Ventures
Canadian Fund. In 2000, Apoptogen merged with Exogen Neurosciences
to become Aegera. CGDN continues to hold equity in the company.
CGDN has garnered an impressive track record for commercializing
genetic discoveries. The $800,000 awarded through its Strategic
Grant program has led to the creation of six new biotechnology companies,
including Aegera, Xenon Pharmaceuticals Inc., SignalGene Inc., and
NeuroVir Therapeutics (acquired by MediGene). These spinoffs in
turn have raised more than $135 million in investments and
generated more than 900 jobs.
"Aegera is one of the most
promising private biotechnology companies in Canada
today. They have successfully made the transition from
the research bench to the clinic and have the management
depth, intellectual property, and drug candidates to
rapidly develop into a leading North American biotechnology
company."
Luc Marengere
General Partner
VenGrowth Advanced Life Sciences Fund |
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"Now that Aegera is in clinical trials," Dr. Woznow
adds, "it validates the CGDN Strategic Grant program goal of
catalyzing the translation of genetic discoveries into new treatments
and cures."
www.cgdn.ca
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