Susan Poulos

The North Carolina Biotechnology Center’s inaugural Southeast Investor & Venture Philanthropy Oncology Summit showcased a variety of oncology venture philanthropists and more than 30 of the region’s top private oncology companies. More than 100 of the region’s cancer fighters gathered last week to share information, forge relationships, and discover opportunities to catapult innovation for new cancer treatments. During the event more than 100 one-on-one partnering meetings matched research ideas with philanthropy and foundation experts. The same day, the IMS Institute for Healthcare Informatics issued a report saying global spending on cancer—including spending on oncology medicines, therapeutic treatments and supportive care—topped $100...

Mucus. Non-adolescents generally don’t think much about it until they’re suffering from allergies or a cold. For most people, you might say, ‘snot a big deal. But a layer of protective mucus in sensitive bodily tissues plays a critical role in keeping our bodies healthy. People who have mucosal surface deficiencies suffer from conditions ranging from dry eye disease to life-threatening pulmonary diseases, including cystic fibrosis (CF), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. Although these conditions affect millions of people globally, locally they are being positively impacted by Durham’s Parion Sciences, a drug development company dedicated to...

Hemophilia. Duchenne muscular dystrophy. Epilepsy. Alzheimer’s disease. Diabetic retinopathy. Age-related macular degeneration. Osteoarthritis. These are just some of the diseases that Chapel Hill-based Asklepios BioPharmaceutical (AskBio) is working to alleviate through the development and delivery of novel, intracellular protein therapeutics using its cutting-edge Biological Nano Particle (BNP) technology. This gene-transfer technology is used to deliver a broad variety of biological material, including therapeutic genes, RNA interference (RNAi) – a biological process in which RNA molecules inhibit gene expression – and vaccines, among others, to specific tissues. “Think of our BNP gene transfer vectors like a tiny FedEx truck delivering...

DURHAM, N.C. – Eboo Pharmaceuticals Inc. (EPI) in Durham is one of three U.S. biopharmaceutical companies selected by The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research (MJFF) for its Partnering Program. The initiative promotes collaboration between awardees and industry groups as the foundation aims to move promising projects in Parkinson’s research through the drug development pipeline. Through the 2013 MJFF Grant of nearly $1.5 million, EPI is developing a unique series of compounds with the potential to alleviate Parkinson’s disease (PD) symptoms and mitigate the motor complications (dyskinesia) related to dopamine replacement therapy, the primary drug currently being used...

The opportunities for the life science industry to offer prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and cures for diseases are stronger today than ever before, according to U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Margaret Hamburg, M.D., who opened the CED Life Science Conference in Raleigh. She urged industry stakeholders to delve deep into science, connect to others, and collectively build for the future. “How we work together now is the engine for the future.” Recapping a brief history of the U. S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and its evolving role in evaluating drugs and focusing on safety, Hamburg shared her...