Download Amrita Therapeutics Ltd.

2011 Buzz of BIO Winner
Role of PPPs in Addressing NCDs in Lowand Middle-Income Countries
Cost-Effective Innovation in India
Susan K. Finston, CEO
Amrita Therapeutics Ltd.
April 24, 2013
Take Aways
• Visualizing Success for Delivery & Drug
Development Systems in India
• Introducing Amrita Therapeutics – A
Case Study in Oncology Bio-Discovery
• PPPs & Capacity Building – Key to Long
Term Success
• Continuing the Journey – Getting from
Here to There
2
Visualizing Success:
PPPs and Capacity Building
• Balance market incentives for drug
distribution, research and development:
– Healthcare Safety Net
– Rule of Law Protections – Intellectual Property
(patents, trademarks, linkage, trade secrecy)
– Relationship of policy direction and
mobilization of capital
• The Whole vs. the Parts
– Supply vs. Demand: Who are Winners and Losers?
– Strategy vs. Tactics: What can we learn from past
experience? Where is the data?
3
Where is India now?
Growth in Biotech from $250M (2001)
to $3.5B (2010)
*Projected
Exponential growth forecast by 2015
4
Paradox of Indian Biotech Without
Bio-Discovery Startups
• Funds flow into contract research,
related bio-services, not R&D:
– Little appetite for classic “high risk / high
reward” investment in start-ups for R&D
discovery, product development
– Absence of VCs, few Angel investors for
market disturbing technologies
• Indian Department of Biotechnology
(DBT) PPPs intend to bridge the divide;
encourage innovative partnerships
Case Study on Bio-Discovery PPP:
Amrita Therapeutics
From the Sanskrit:
“The elixir of immortality; the drink
of the Hindu gods, which
strengthens & grants immortality.”
Amrita Management Team
Ananda M. Chakrabarty, Ph.D.
Co-Founder & Senior Science Advisor
– Received 1st patented genetically engineered (GE)
organism through Diamond vs. Chakrabarty (1980)
– Global domain expert on bacterial proteins/peptides
therapies
– Advisor to U.S., foreign governments & UN Agencies
Susan K. Finston, J.D./M.P.P.
Co-Founder & Chief Executive Officer:
– Veteran BioPharma consultant advising Fortune100 & start-ups
– Demonstrated track record in fundraising, BD, IP and
strategic development
– Special expertise in India, IP and Emerging Markets
Amrita’s ATP-01 Multivalent Protein
Amrita Milestones
• $.5 M Seed Funding from GVFL & Company
for soft Launch at Vibrant Gujarat (2009)
• Award of DBT Biotechnology Industry
Partnership Program (BIPP) Grant build-out
of Protein Purification Lab (2010)
• Development of novel protein/peptide
drugs and filing of several provisional
patents (2010 – 2011)
• Initiation of research collaborations (2010)
Amrita Milestones (2)
• “Buzz of BIO” (Healing) Winner at 2011 BIO
International Convention
• NEW early R&D program with the National
Cancer Institute (NCI) (initiated late 2011)
• Design of additional novel peptides showing
good anti-cancer activity
• Amrita research highlighted in Journal of
Commercial Biotechnology (January 2012) and
ISRN Neurology (2012).
• Filing of 2 full Utility & PCT patents (Sept. 2011 &
March 2012)
• Relocation of Amrita Lab to UDSC TBI (late 2012)
10
Amrita’s AT-01 In Vitro Effectiveness
11
HIV-1: ATP-01 Comparable
Effectiveness to Enfurviritide (T20)
% Inhibition of Cell
to Cell Fusion
% Inhibition in
Lymphatic system
12
First-Ever Oncology Combination Device
to Deliver Therapy to the Tumor Site
Amrita ’ s innovative combination medical device utilizing
biofilms for targeted cancer therapy, including for tumors that
are inoperable or otherwise difficult to treat with existing
therapies
Two nude mice were injected with 1m
cancer cells (MCF-7); both developed
visible tumors. This shows growth of
the tumor in the control mouse at 5
weeks.
We treated one of the mice with a
drug eluting stent in situ at the site of
the tumor. The bio-film coated stent
caused the tumor to become necrotic,
after which it dissolved and was
removed.
13
Future Work Program*
• Efficacy studies of AT-01 peptide in
xenografted mouse model
• Mechanism of action of AT-01
peptide
• Preclinical toxicity studies of AT-01
peptide
*based on available funding
Public-Private Partnerships: Benefits of IndoUS Collaboration
• Shared Rule of Law / Common Law Legacy
• English as official language at governmental
level & language of science in apex research
institutes, companies, clinical research centers
• Similar cultural values as much as differences
• Large reservoir of Indian science and
management talent with U.S.
education/experience as ‘Brain Drain’ becomes
‘Brain Gain’
• High-level Government of India commitment to
continue to build delivery systems and R&D
ecosystem
Getting from Here to There
• Building the track while we are
riding in the train
• For Amrita Therapeutics, existing
grant opportunities are necessary
but insufficient
• With a freeze in early access to
capital for bio-discovery, the
answers may lie in the Crowd –
Crowdfunding @2Q2013
Thank you!
Susan K Finston, J.D., M.P.P.
CEO/Managing Director
+1-202-621-8944
+1-202-330-5550 (fax)
[email protected]
amritatherapeutics.com
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