Exclusive: MIT’s Langer, Farokhzad launch combination-med biotech

Posted under BIND Biosciences, Blend Therapeutics, Blog, combo drug, Companies, Diagnostics, drug combination, Funding, Medical Devices, Medical Supply, Omid Farokhzad, Pharmaceuticals, Robert Langer, Selecta Biosciences, Startups, Universities, Videos by John Carroll

Serial biotech entrepreneurs Robert Langer and Omid Farokhzad are joining up with MIT's Dr. Stephen Lippard to launch a new drug developer--Blend Therapeutics--which will concentrate on the development of a pipeline of combination therapies. And they have ambitious plans to redefine the whole field of combination treatments in the process.

Lippard's work at MIT has been heavily concentrated on platinum anticancer therapies. He's been exploring new "nanomolecular constructs" that can extend the lifetime and improve the therapeutic punch of platinum drugs. That platinum class of drugs is just one of the approaches that Blend will use as it crafts a new type of combination therapy, Farokhzad explains to FierceBiotech.

Currently, combination therapies are simply separate drugs which use different pharmacologies to attack a disease. In Blend's case, the company will work to "combine a variety of different drugs together, forcing them together" in a way that makes them work in concert--which is why they dubbed the platform Maestro. And Blend will initially focus on oncology, inflammation, pain and infectious diseases.

MIT's Langer and Harvard's Farokhzad are both familiar faces in the Boston biotech hub, credited with a string of startups that include Bind Biosciences and Selecta Biosciences--both Fierce 15 companies which have attracted sizeable amounts of venture cash. The scientists have contributed insights on nanobio that have inspired scores of drug programs. And they've brought together a distinguished group of colleagues from the science world--which includes Harvard's Ulrich von Andrian--to advise Blend as it builds its new drug discovery platform.

Flagship Ventures, New Enterprise Associates and NanoDimension joined forces to bankroll Blend's Series A.

Blend will be built with a business plan that mirrors the approach used to construct Bind and Selecta, says Farokhzad. Starting with a $2.8 million stake provided by the venture groups, the biotech plans to build a staff of about a dozen people this year, growing to around 20 sometime next year. The founders plan to build its staff methodically, waiting until the biotech is mature enough to attract the attention of a top-tier CEO. And a lean initial budget is intended to help guard against diluting equity while pushing the team to start finding additional sources of non-dilutive cash.

"This is a platform that is very interesting to Big Pharma partners," says Farokhzad. And the plan now is to start working on preclinical pacts as they start to "test the boundaries of the platform."

"We could have done a $16 million Series A," adds Farokhzad.  But it's better to build the infrastructure first, create some value, and then raise additional cash later this year. And while RusNano, which recently invested heavily in Bind and Selecta, has not been approached on Blend, Farokhzad says he wouldn't be in the least surprised to hear from them later.

- here's the press release

Special Reports: BIND Biosciences - 2008 Fierce 15 | Selecta Biosciences - 2011 Fierce 15

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Russian fund leads $94.5M investment in two Langer biotechs

Developer looks to nanoparticles for smoking cessation vaccine

Posted under Blog, Companies, Diagnostics, Funding, Medical Devices, Medical Supply, Pharmaceuticals, SEL-068, Selecta Biosciences, smoking cessation, Startups, Universities, vaccines, Videos by Maureen Martino

Last week, Selecta Biosciences, a 2011 Fierce 15 company, announced that it has started a Phase I trial of a synthetic nanoparticle vaccine for smoking cessation. The shot, called SEL-068, is designed to train the body's immune system to capture nicotine molecules, preventing those molecules from reaching the brain. Curtailing the feel-good effects of nicotine could give smokers a better chance at kicking the habit.

The Boston Globe notes that 46 million Americans are smokers, and that each year about half of them try to quit. However, just 5 percent are able to do so permanently. "Smoking is clearly the most preventable cause of disease, and it's one of the big contributors to health care costs going up," Selecta CEO Werner Cautreels told the Globe. "As a result, most insurers will completely reimburse products that help people stop smoking.''

Selecta's vaccine uses lab-engineered nanoparticles, making it different than a typical flu shot, which is made from weakened strains of the virus. Its first study will examine the safety of SEL-068 in healthy smokers and nonsmokers. Researchers will also be looking for an immune response that indicates whether the vaccine causes the body to produce antibodies against nicotine. 

If successful, the vaccine could present an attractive option for smokers trying to quit. Current smoking cessation methods rely on daily patches and pills to control nicotine cravings. One dose of Selecta's vaccine could last up to a year, with occasional boosters to prevent relapse. However, it may take time for smokers to feel the effects of the vaccine. "Most people, when they want to quit smoking, they want to do it today," explains University of Vermont psychiatry professor John Hughes. "It's impulsive.''

Selecta, which has raised $80 million for its work thus far, would likely need to partner with a much larger pharma company in order to launch a successful marketing campaign for its vaccine.

- read The Boston Globe article for more

Special Report: Selecta Biosciences - 2011 Fierce 15

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