Business
Model:
NexGenix, with a specialty pharmaceutical
approach, is partnering with companies that have promising compounds for
treating NF. “We have assembled, in one location, all the tools necessary to
take a compound through pre-clinical screening and phase II clinical trials,”
explained Laura Philips, Ph.D., MBA, COO of NexGenix.
“We are pursuing intellectual rights to compounds and treatment approaches
which will establish a unique market position for NexGenix in drug development
for NF.”
Under U.S.
and European orphan drug legislation, NF represents a market of over $1
billion per year. This may not be big enough for a large
pharmaceutical
company, but it certainly fits the business model
of a smaller-sized, more efficient
company that does not have high drug discovery costs and risks.
Technology:
NF1
and NF2 are caused by tumor suppressor mutations in either the NF1 or NF2 gene.
Based on a detailed understanding of the genetics, NexGenix has a wide array of cell-based assays and sophisticated
transgenic mouse models for preclinical screening. They also have proprietary
imaging tools and a biomarker under development to detect clinical endpoints
and to accelerate the process of getting a drug to patients. Laboratory work is
performed at NexGenix’s research facility in Burlingame, California.
NexGenix has 5 prominent cancer researchers as
founder-scientific advisors, including Frank McCormick, Ph.D, Head of the UCSF
Cancer Research Center. Rubenstein himself is Director of Medical Affairs
Emeritus at the National NF Foundation.
Prospects:
The
company has raised $1.5 million from angel investors and will shortly seek an
additional $1.5 million. The additional funding will expand the throughput capabilities
to screen more compounds, enhance the capabilities for performing experiments
with mouse models and build on
existing tools for clinical trials.
Anjani Shah, Ph.D. is a
freelance science writer based in New York City.
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