SyzOnc is building a systems-level solution for creating improved cancer therapeutics. Our System for Tumor Ecosystem Modulation (STEM3) platform maps, models and modulates the tumor ecosystem to unearth new, clinically relevant cancer biology, identify drug candidates that holistically address the pathophysiology of the disease, and offer better treatment options to patients with the hardest to treat solid tumors.

At TEEM Therapeutics, we are leveraging biology and engineering to enable precision medicine drug discovery and development in cardio-oncology, atrial fibrillation, and rare cardiac disease using human 3D Tissue Engineered Models (TEEMs). Our technology platform uses patient human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) for creating heart cells and engineered tissue models of disease for identifying new drug targets, iteratively designing cardiac drugs, and increasing efficacy and market success compared to current methodologies. Cardiovascular disease has remained the leading cause of morbidity and mortality globally for decades, and the challenge of bringing new cardiac drugs to the clinic requires the predictive power and innovative technology of TEEM.

Current pacemaker batteries can only last 5−10 years, and surgeries are needed only to replace the battery. Despite the continued demand for higher energy batteries − even 10% improvement can be game-changing − there hasn’t been any major innovation in cell chemistries in the past 40 years. Our team invented a new type of primary battery (patents pending) that can boost the energy density of the current energy leader by up to 50%. This enables important value propositions such as extending device life, and/or decreasing device size and weight. 

Increasing waves of opioid overdose deaths is a serious public health problem and is  creating a significant healthcare burden. Involvement of adulterants in street drugs is sharply rising among overdose deaths. This technology uses the pharmacology properties of alpha-2 adrenergic antagonists, to develop an antidote for the effects of xylazine in synthetic opioids. In this technology, novel and repurposed compounds are administered via multiple routes, alone or in combination with naloxone, to reverse street drug overdoses.

EEG biomarkers of brain function are essential in biomedical research. However, their use in therapeutics is hindered by a lack of understanding how they are generated by the cells and circuits within the brain. We have state of the art computational tools and domain expertise to bridge this gap. Our approach enables translation between EEG and the wealth of knowledge gained about disease states from invasive recordings and genetic manipulations in animals transforming the development of EEG-based therapies. 

Sleep is essential for brain health, and disrupted sleep in midlife is linked to the development of Alzheimer’s disease decades later. We have developed technology to monitor human brain function during sleep and discovered that waves of fluid wash over the brain during sleep. This technology has two commercial applications: it is the basis for noninvasive stimulation paradigms to enhance sleep, and can be used to predict individual brain health using at-home sleep tracking. 

SOMA represents a cutting-edge fusion of user-centric technology and neurobiological research designed to dismantle the barriers of chronic pain management. Through an intuitive smartphone app, SOMA harnesses user-input data on symptoms and medication, alongside cognitive assessments and mind-body exercises that are currently being developed into an engaging digital therapeutic platform for Chronic Pain Patients.

Our technology represents a new paradigm in cancer immunotherapy where siRNA-lipid nanoparticle (LNP) therapeutics are delivered to innate immune cells. By silencing key activators of innate immune cell activation, such therapeutics intervene in early stages of the immune response to cancer, and hold therapeutic potential for patients that do not respond to current therapies. 

Treating neuromuscular diseases would restore health and quality of life to millions of people. Current preclinical models for testing the efficacy of investigational neuromuscular therapies are not focused on functional assessments of muscle force and are thus ill suited for robust target discovery and drug development. We have leveraged expertise in tissue engineering and machine design to build a platform that enables accurate, quantitative, and automated measurements of muscle health, strength, and fatigue, enabling translational high-throughput discovery of new therapies that restore mobility to patients.

Bioelectronic devices, when implanted in the body, provide powerful tools for diagnosis and therapeutics. However, placing a medical implant (be it wired or wireless) inside the body, requires an invasive surgery, which is associated with pain, tissue damage, infection along with risks of ischemia, psychological distress, morbidity and mortality.

We have developed a paradigm-shift: a new class of bioelectronic implants where nanoelectronic devices travel through the blood stream and autonomously target diseased regions without the need for any surgery or external intervention. We have also configured these devices to overcome the strictest of biological barriers, i.e. the blood brain barrier and created the first non-surgical brain implant. Our technology, for the first time, can provide non-invasive focal deep brain stimulation with high spatio-temporal precision. This can transform the treatment of a broad spectrum of human diseases including neurodegenerative diseases, mental illnesses, psychiatric disorders, stroke, brain cancer, nerve injury, neuropathic pain and many more. 

Cell surface sugars, called glycans, represent a largely untapped immunological axis and attractive molecular targets for immunotherapy. For example, remodeled glycan structures in cancer allow tumors to escape detection by the immune system and resist existing cancer treatments. However, it has not been possible to effectively drug glycans to date. We recently developed antibody-lectin chimera (AbLec) technology that makes it possible to target glycans for immunotherapy. At our new venture, Valora Therapeutics, we are developing AbLecs to address unmet patient needs in oncology and immunology.

Our technology leverages pooled screening and machine learning to identify optimal nanoparticle formulations for specific disease signatures. Nanoformulations can be transformational in bringing emerging therapies like nucleic acids to the clinic, but cell selectivity remains a problem. Our proprietary algorithm tackles this challenge and can be used to design new nanoparticle formulations and repurpose existing formulations by predicting high-affinity cellular interactions.