Learning how apoptosis works – that is, the programmed death of a cell – could play an important role in helping researchers understand how debilitating diseases work – or even how to make drugs more effective.
SEED Partners just acquired the patents for a fluorescent dye test that tracks, in vivo, cell death. The Minneapolis-based holding now holds rights to the Flivo apoptosis kit – a dye that makes it ways into cells to help scientists watch, in real-time, programmed cell death. The test is for use exclusively among animal models – it’s still a ways away from FDA approval – but the ultimate goal is to find ways to make the platform useful in human diagnostics and treatment.
SEED Partners wouldn’t disclose how much it spent to acquire the platform, but the quasi-venture firm says it plans to spin out the technology to form a new company. Some uses for this technology could be in the oncology space, managing partner Jeff Julkowski said – tracking the efficacy of a cancer drug from one day to the next, helping gauge whether the cells are dying or not.
A Deep-dive Into Specialty Pharma
A specialty drug is a class of prescription medications used to treat complex, chronic or rare medical conditions. Although this classification was originally intended to define the treatment of rare, also termed “orphan” diseases, affecting fewer than 200,000 people in the US, more recently, specialty drugs have emerged as the cornerstone of treatment for chronic and complex diseases such as cancer, autoimmune conditions, diabetes, hepatitis C, and HIV/AIDS.
The firm plans to commercialize the technology among researchers and big pharma early next year, Julkowski said.
