AUSTIN, TX – September 7, 2016 – Curtana Pharmaceuticals, a privately-held, preclinical stage biopharmaceutical company developing a novel therapy for glioblastoma (GBM) and other brain cancers, has been selected to present at the National Council of Entrepreneurial Tech Transfer (NCET2) 2016 University Startups Demo Day in Washington, DC. NCET2 will hold its first University Startups Demo Day (USDD) at the National Press Club and Congress in Washington, DC on September 20, 2016. Curtana, founded with technology developed at the University of California San Diego, is one of 35 companies selected from 200 company submissions, each with a close university affiliation.
The USDD will showcase the 35 best university startups in technology areas such as pharmaceutical and medical devices, chemical and engineering, IT and software, and consumer-facing new models. Selected by their universities, and scored by corporations, angel investors, and venture capitalists, the startup companies were evaluated on criteria such as, management team strength, technical and commercial feasibility, product attractiveness and strategic fit. The top scoring startups will present their technologies at the National Press Club in Washington DC. From there, presenters travel to Congress to meet with interested corporate partners and venture capitalists and then have a photo op with their respective senators and representatives.
“It is a great honor for Curtana to be recognized as one of the best university startups and to present in front of potential corporate partners and venture capitalists,” said Gregory Stein, M.D., M.B.A. and Chief Executive Officer, Curtana Pharmaceuticals. “Brain cancer is a devastating disease with a median survival time of less than 15 months even with the best available care. We are focused on developing a novel therapy to dramatically improve treatment success and survival times. Opportunities like this to tell our story and garner support for this potentially life-changing technology are critical to move the drug development program forward.”
The USDD provides an unprecedented opportunity to further technology innovation by providing a venue for potential corporate partners, venture capitalists, and angel investors to discover and help fund start-up companies. At the same time, it raises awareness in Congress of the pivotal role that universities play in the formation of high potential startups, the creation of high value jobs, and furthering our overall national competitiveness.
“New ideas, new solutions to problems, are vital to the future of our research enterprise as well as to the economic growth of our region, our state, and our nation,” said UC San Diego Vice Chancellor for Research Sandra Brown. “Our mission, and the mission of these outstanding startups at UC San Diego, is to disseminate discoveries that transform lives.”
One of a group of tumors referred to as gliomas, GBM is the most common and most aggressive malignant primary brain tumor in adults. Curtana is targeting the transcription factor Olig2, which is critical for glioma formation and drives tumor proliferation and invasion into normal brain tissue. Typically, Olig2 is not active in normal brain tissue, which makes it an attractive drug target as adverse effects are minimized. However, it is highly expressed in all diffuse gliomas and nearly 100% of glioma cancer stem cells (CSCs). The relevance for therapy derives from the finding that over-expression of Olig2 drives turmorigenesis and promotes resistance to chemotherapy and radiation therapy.
About Curtana Pharmaceuticals
Curtana Pharmaceuticals, founded in 2013, is a privately held, preclinical-stage biopharmaceutical company headquartered in Austin, Texas. In August 2014, the company was awarded a $7.6 million grant from the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas. Curtana focuses on the development of novel first-in-class, small molecule therapeutics targeting cancer stem cells in the central nervous system for the treatment of glioblastoma and other cancers. Curtana’s Olig2 inhibitors will be the only adjuvant treatment for nearly all gliomas, including high-grade glioblastomas, which specifically targets the cancer stem cells and is a potent radiosensitizer. For more information, visit www.curtanapharma.com.
About The National Council of Entrepreneurial Tech Transfer
The National Council of Entrepreneurial Tech Transfer is an organization of entrepreneurial universities creating and funding university startups. With a network of over 200 research universities, NCET2 promotes best practices in the creation and funding of university startups by supporting entrepreneurship and providing entrepreneurial education. NCET2 connects Fortune/Global 1000 companies, Angel and VC investors, economic development organizations, state and federal agencies, and tech transfer professionals in building centers of innovation at universities.
