Investment marks first new syndicate completed in 2017
Seattle, Wash. – February 9, 2017 – Today, angelMD announced an investment syndicate with Curtana Pharmaceuticals, a leader in the development of brain cancer treatment technology. Orrin Ailloni-Charas, MD, MBA is the syndicate leader for the first investment through angelMD in 2017. Dr. Ailloni-Charas, who received his medical degree at the New York University School of Medicine before going on to earn an MBA at Columbia University, is a practicing physician in Northern California.
Based in Austin, Texas, Curtana Pharmaceuticals was founded by Drs. Gregory Stein and Santosh Kesari on the shared goal of developing first-in-class, small molecule therapeutics for the treatment of glioblastoma (GBM), which is the deadliest malignant primary brain tumor in adults. In the United States, there are approximately eleven thousand new cases of GBM every year. The market for a GBM treatment is valued at $380 million per year in the U.S. and approximately $1 billion world-wide.
"Glioblastoma is a devastating disease, and we're excited to facilitate investor participation in a company attacking this space in a novel way. This is a perfect opportunity to do life-saving work while making smart investment decisions at the same time,” stated Dr. Ailloni-Charas.
Curtana’s drug, CT-179, is an Olig2 transcription factor inhibitor that kills GBM cancer stem cells. Currently in preclinical development, the company plans to initiate its first human clinical trial of CT-179 no later than the first quarter of 2018.
“Anchored by physicians, angelMD's investors are well versed on the challenges of treating brain cancer. It is particularly validating for our company and technology platform to be selected by angelMD for inclusion in its portfolio,” said Curtana’s CEO, Gregory Stein, MD, MBA. “Curtana remains laser-focused on developing a novel therapy targeting glioma cancer stem cells to dramatically improve the survival rate of patients with GBM.”
# # #
About angelMD
angelMD is an investment platform and marketplace connecting innovative medical startups, physicians, investors and industry partners. Leading physicians from all over the US have joined the angelMD Scientific Advisory Board and Leaders Club to help source, evaluate and advise companies in biotechnology, medical device and healthcare technology. For more information, visit www.angelmd.co.
About Curtana Pharmaceuticals
Curtana Pharmaceuticals was founded on a mission to develop the first truly targeted therapies for the treatment of the most aggressive types of brain cancer. The company’s drug development program is based on the pioneering research of Dr. Santosh Kesari, who is currently the Chairman of the Department of Translational Neuro-oncology and Neuro-therapeutics at the John Wayne Cancer Institute.
Curtana’s senior leadership brings years of experience in the pharmaceutical industry, with extensive backgrounds in the development of new molecular entities for the treatment of cancer as well as CNS disorders. Curtana initiated operations in San Diego, California in 2013. Following the award of a highly prestigious and competitive grant ($7.6M) from the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT) in August 2014, the company relocated its lab and offices to Austin, Texas.
Seattle, Wash. – February 9, 2017 – Today, angelMD announced an investment syndicate with Curtana Pharmaceuticals, a leader in the development of brain cancer treatment technology. Orrin Ailloni-Charas, MD, MBA is the syndicate leader for the first investment through angelMD in 2017. Dr. Ailloni-Charas, who received his medical degree at the New York University School of Medicine before going on to earn an MBA at Columbia University, is a practicing physician in Northern California.
Based in Austin, Texas, Curtana Pharmaceuticals was founded by Drs. Gregory Stein and Santosh Kesari on the shared goal of developing first-in-class, small molecule therapeutics for the treatment of glioblastoma (GBM), which is the deadliest malignant primary brain tumor in adults. In the United States, there are approximately eleven thousand new cases of GBM every year. The market for a GBM treatment is valued at $380 million per year in the U.S. and approximately $1 billion world-wide.
"Glioblastoma is a devastating disease, and we're excited to facilitate investor participation in a company attacking this space in a novel way. This is a perfect opportunity to do life-saving work while making smart investment decisions at the same time,” stated Dr. Ailloni-Charas.
Curtana’s drug, CT-179, is an Olig2 transcription factor inhibitor that kills GBM cancer stem cells. Currently in preclinical development, the company plans to initiate its first human clinical trial of CT-179 no later than the first quarter of 2018.
“Anchored by physicians, angelMD's investors are well versed on the challenges of treating brain cancer. It is particularly validating for our company and technology platform to be selected by angelMD for inclusion in its portfolio,” said Curtana’s CEO, Gregory Stein, MD, MBA. “Curtana remains laser-focused on developing a novel therapy targeting glioma cancer stem cells to dramatically improve the survival rate of patients with GBM.”
# # #
About angelMD
angelMD is an investment platform and marketplace connecting innovative medical startups, physicians, investors and industry partners. Leading physicians from all over the US have joined the angelMD Scientific Advisory Board and Leaders Club to help source, evaluate and advise companies in biotechnology, medical device and healthcare technology. For more information, visit www.angelmd.co.
About Curtana Pharmaceuticals
Curtana Pharmaceuticals was founded on a mission to develop the first truly targeted therapies for the treatment of the most aggressive types of brain cancer. The company’s drug development program is based on the pioneering research of Dr. Santosh Kesari, who is currently the Chairman of the Department of Translational Neuro-oncology and Neuro-therapeutics at the John Wayne Cancer Institute.
Curtana’s senior leadership brings years of experience in the pharmaceutical industry, with extensive backgrounds in the development of new molecular entities for the treatment of cancer as well as CNS disorders. Curtana initiated operations in San Diego, California in 2013. Following the award of a highly prestigious and competitive grant ($7.6M) from the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT) in August 2014, the company relocated its lab and offices to Austin, Texas.
