[July 13, 2016] |
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Cydan Development Awards Five Scholarships to Support Innovations Impacting Individuals with Rare Conditions
Cydan
Development, Inc., an orphan drug
accelerator dedicated to creating therapies that impact the lives of
people living with rare genetic diseases, today announced that it has
selected five start-up organizations and companies to receive $5,000
scholarships to support innovations that impact the lives of people with
rare conditions. Courageous Parents Network, Dover Life Sciences,
EyeControl, Hyasynth Bio and Versantis will receive the 2016 Cydan
Scholarships in partnership with MassChallenge.
"These trailblazers are using science and technology to develop
products, devices and services to target rare diseases and to assist
patients," said Chris Adams, Ph.D., Co-Founder and Chief Executive
Officer at Cydan. "We are excited to support these innovative start-ups
and follow their progress during the 2016 MassChallenge and beyond."
In addition to the financial commitment, Cydan, as a MassChallenge
sponsor will provide hands-on mentorship and resources to the companies.
The 2016 Scholarship winners are:
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Courageous
Parents Network, a non-profit founded by parents of children
diagnosed with rare and life-threatening diseases. Courageous Parents
Network (CPN) is a Web/Mobile intervention to a problem largely
ignored. It looks beyond medical research to address the emotional and
psychological issues parents caring for children with serious illness
face but most disease groups avoid. CPN provides coping resources,
parent-to-parent media, and support online, for free, so parents can
access them 24/7 and at their own pace, including middle of the night.
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Dover
Life Sciences LLC has developed a set of small molecule inhibitors
of glycogen synthase which could lead to weight control in patients
with Prader Willi Syndrome (PWS) andalso as substrate reduction
therapy for abnormal glycogen storage found in Glycogen Storage
Disease Type 3 (GSD3).
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EyeControl
is an inexpensive, intuitive mobile and screen-free communication
device that allows "locked-in" patients to communicate at anytime,
anywhere. Patients with ALS and other diseases are locked in their own
bodies. Although they may have significant cognitive capabilities,
they cannot speak or use their limbs. This technology allows
communication using eye movement exclusively.
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Hyasynth
Bio is changing the supply chain for cannabinoids from the
expensive and crude plant source to an efficient and pure source based
on genetically engineered yeast that would enable pharmaceutical
development and distribution worldwide. Additionally, Hyasynth will
harness its technology platform to develop novel cannabinoids to
target therapeutics.
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Versantis
AG is developing a liposomal-based platform that serves the
development of drugs for inherited metabolic disorders. VS-01 focuses
on citrullinemia, a genetic disorder of high unmet medical need
affecting newborns. A pharmaceutically acceptable formulation and
robust preclinical data have reinforced its translational potential
and the promise to improve the clinical outcome of these patients
experiencing hyperammonemia. Ammonia is highly neurotoxic and is also
the cause of other urea cycle disorders and acidemias, which Versantis
will target next.
MassChallenge Boston sponsors, such as Cydan, awarded scholarships to
eligible companies participating in the 2016 Accelerator Program. Other
scholarship sponsors include Microsoft,
Zipcar,
Massachusetts
Clean Energy Center, EYP,
and The
John W. Henry Family Foundation.
About Cydan Development, Inc.
Cydan is an orphan drug accelerator dedicated to creating therapies that
impact the lives of people living with rare genetic diseases. Cydan
evaluates products for treating such diseases with high unmet medical
need with the goal to start companies to develop promising therapies.
Cydan's first new company, Vtesse, was launched in January 2015 and is
developing drugs for NiemannPick Disease Type C (NPC) and other rare,
severe diseases with great unmet need. Cydan's second new company,
Imara, was launched in April 2016. Imara is developing novel
therapeutics for patients with sickle cell disease. Cydan was founded in
2013 by a management team with extensive drug discovery, clinical
development and business development experience and financed by leading
life sciences investors NEA, Pfizer Venture Investments, Lundbeckfond
Ventures, Bay City Capital and Alexandria Venture Investments. The
accelerator is based in Tech Square in Cambridge, Mass.
For more information, please visit http://www.cydanco.com
or contact Cydan at [email protected].
View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160713005079/en/
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