This is a list of current Incubator resident companies.
AxoGen, Inc. is a biomedical company developing products that will allow surgeons to repair and regenerate peripheral nerves more successfully than ever before. Every year in the US, several million people suffer peripheral nerve injuries, a major source of disability that impairs the ability to move muscles or to feel normal sensations. AxoGen, utilizing a seasoned management team with a strong track record, is revolutionizing peripheral nerve procedures based on scientific breakthroughs that reveal the mechanism of axon growth and regeneration.
Contact: Jamie Grooms, CEO, 352.244.5813, jmgrooms@axogeninc.com
www.axogeninc.com
Banyan Biomarkers, Inc. is developing novel biomarker diagnostic and therapeutic products to address unmet clinical needs associated with organ injury. Our initial diagnostic products will be for the detection and monitoring of traumatic brain injury (TBI). No simple, point-of-care blood test currently exists to detect the presence and severity of brain trauma. Detecting biomarkers associated with TBI will provide rapid indications of brain trauma essential for earlier intervention and management. Banyan’s therapy development program focuses on a compound that will block two enzymes which cause additional brain cell death following the initial damage to the brain tissue. By blocking the action of these enzymes, subsequent tissue damage can be reduced or even eliminated, thus improving patient outcomes. Banyan’s ongoing research is performed in the company’s Center of Innovative Research (CoIR) which is a unique self-supporting research infrastructure focused on developing a pipeline of novel products for both diagnostic and therapeutic uses. Banyan also provides analytical laboratory services to pharmaceutical companies looking to evaluate candidate drug compounds that may produce neurotoxicity or neuroprotection.
Contact: Gary Ascani, CEO, 386.462.2481, gascani@banyanbio.com
www.banyanbio.com
BIKAM Pharmaceuticals, Inc. is an early stage biopharmaceutical company focusing upon the discovery and development of small molecule therapeutics for the treatment of ophthalmic diseases and disorders, including retinitis pigmentosa. Worldwide, there are approximately 1.5 million people which suffer from retinitis pigmentosa (RP), a hereditary disease which leads to blindness. As its initial priority, the company is pursuing the discovery of compounds based on a novel mechanism of action identified by the company’s founder, Dr. Shalesh Kaushal. BIKAM has an experienced management team with a strong track record in pharmaceutical drug discovery dedicated to expanding these findings and others from the Kaushal lab to create potential therapeutics to prevent blindness.
Contact: Muzammil Mansuri, CEO, 386.418.1335, mmansuri@jsb-partners.com or David Garvey, VP, Chemistry, dsgconsult@comcast.net
BIKAM Info
Harbert Venture Partners II (HVP II) provides growth capital to early stage technology and healthcare companies in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern United States. The Harbert Venture Partner II team combines substantial investment, advisory and operating experience with capital to assist entrepreneurs in successfully executing their growth plans. HVP II typically invests in first or second institutional rounds with initial commitments of $1.0 million to $3.0 million. Generally, HVP II seeks board representation in each investment and strives to provide active strategic, operating and networking support for its portfolio companies. Contact: John Uhrin, Partner, 386.462.0107, juhrin@harbert.net
www.harbert.net/venture-capital/portfolio/
Integrated Plant Genetics, Inc. is a development stage biotechnology company, in business to produce and license genes and technologies for the purposes of microbial, horticultural, agricultural and forest tree improvement, including pathogen control. IPG provides contract genetic engineering services, advanced plant breeding technologies for freedom to operate in creating transgenic crops, and assistance in developing regulatory data submission packages. IPG offers environmentally sound and sustainable alternatives to costly and often toxic chemical pest control methods. IPG is a Florida-grown company, with strong ties to the University of Florida, and a commitment to Florida agriculture.
Contact: Dean Gabriel, CEO, 386.418.3494, ipg@biotech.ufl.org
www.ipgenetics.com
Pasteuria Bioscience, Inc. is an early-stage agricultural biotechnology company formed to address the world’s largest unmet pest-control problem: plant-parasitic nematodes. Our proprietary technology allows the in-vitro growth and sporulation of Pasteuria penetrans, a naturally-occurring nematode pathogen, for nematode control in crops ranging from high-value ornamentals to agronomic staples.
Contact: David Duncan, CEO, 386.462.7587, dduncan@pasteuriabio.com
www.pasteuriabio.com
Sharklet Technologies, Inc. is a biotechnology company that develops surface technologies that are designed to inhibit or enhance microorganism growth to make the world a healthier, environmentally safer and better place. Inspired by the shape and properties of the skin of certain species of shark, Sharklet™, the company’s revolutionary core technology, is the first no-kill surface developed to control bacteria including Staph a., MRSA and E. coli. Sharklet™ is a microscopic pattern that may be applied to surfaces in healthcare environments and imprinted onto medical devices to inhibit the development of biofilms and help protect patients from hospital-acquired infections. Traditionally, healthcare providers have used antibiotics, disinfectants and other kill strategies to manage bacteria. These strategies have contributed to the serious and growing problem of bacterial resistance. Because it is the pattern that inhibits biofilm formation, and not chemistry, Sharklet does not contribute to bacterial resistance and is unlike any product on the market today.
Contact: Joe Bagan, CEO, 386.418.0078, jbagan@sharklet.com or or Patty Brown, Office Manager and Administrator, 386.418.0078, info@sharklet.com
St Charles Pharmaceuticals, Inc. is a CNS drug development company exploiting novel approaches to therapeutic intervention by targeting the crossover of signaling pathways for pain and neuro-inflammation. The Company’s lead clinical candidate, SCP-123 (IND Enabling), is efficacious and safe in non-clinical studies, and is one of a series of safer and more potent non-opiod analgesics discovered by our founder, Dr. Nicolas Bazan. SCP’s focus is translating early-stage compounds into clinical candidates. SCP is currently funded by SBIR grants, and is seeking to raise its first round of venture financing.
Contact: Donna Millington, Sr. Research Investigator/Lab Manager, 386.462.7015, dmillington@stcharlespharma.com or Ken Narducy, President, 775.747.9583, knarducy@pacbell.net
www.stcharlespharma.com
Xhale, Inc. is developing a line of medical products and technologies based on exhaled breath and novel vapor analysis. Its technologies will compete in pharmaceuticals, diagnostics, healthcare delivery and health monitoring markets. Xhale’s first product line is the HyGreen™ hand hygiene system, which utilizes novel vapor analysis to wirelessly monitor all hand washing events and all patient-healthcare worker interactions in hospitals and healthcare settings. The company has also developed a breath-based medication adherence monitor for use in measuring the compliance of patients enrolled in clinical trials, and is developing an anesthesia breath monitor for use with the popular anesthetic propofol. The company’s researchers are also pursuing a breath-based device to replace consumer glucose monitors which currently require diabetics to prick their skin to draw a blood sample. The company’s patent suite encompasses many novel applications involving measurement of the breath for the presence or concentration of various substances in the blood, with the opportunity to replace many conventional diagnostic tests.
Contact: Elena Casson, Marketing Manager, 352.371.8488, ecasson@xhale.com or Richard R. Allen, CEO, 352.371.8488, rallen@xhale.com
www.xhale.com