Batu Biologics Achieves Goal in Successful Crowdfunding Campaign
Biotech Startup Aims for FDA Approval for Novel Anti-Angiogenic Cancer Vaccine
SAN DIEGO, Aug 18, 2014 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Using a fundraising approach seldom seen in the life sciences sector, Batu Biologics, an immunotherapy company working to develop the first anti-angiogenic cancer vaccine, has successfully raised $100,000 through the Indiegogo crowdfunding platform.
Batu Biologics launched the crowdfunding campaign in June 2014 to fund the completion of preclinical studies to support the FDA submission of its flagship immune therapy, ValloVax™. ValloVax™ is a lung cancer vaccine that stimulates an immune response specifically against the tumor associated blood vessels.
“Batu Biologics would like to thank the generous donors to the campaign,” said Samuel Wagner, President and Chief Executive Officer of Batu Biologics. “As a life science company, attempting a donation-based crowdfunding effort was a risky proposition. However, the success of this campaign is testament to the public enthusiasm for the significant steps in this company’s development of our non-toxic biological therapeutics. We are committed to maximizing progress with the funds that have been donated by our loyal supporters.”
Batu Biologics is working under an aggressive timeline for the development and approval of its drug and plans to submit an Investigational New Drug application to the FDA in the first quarter of 2015.
Wagner reports a positive experience with the crowdfunding approach and knows others will follow. “A new generation of entrepreneurs are taking ownership and looking for alternative strategies to successfully grow their companies without losing ownership share. We are trying to build this business, hold onto our intellectual property, and counter the traditional way things are done in the biotech sector.”
In addition to Wagner, Batu Biologics is led by industry veteran and cell therapy expert Thomas Ichim Ph.D., Executive Chairman; Chief Scientific Officer, Hong Ma M.D. Ph.D., who provides oversight for both research and development as well as business strategy; Chief Operating Officer Dimitri N. Theofilopoulos, J.D., in house legal counsel; Alan J. Lewis, Ph.D., Cofounder and Board Member; and Vice President of Scientific Research Andy Kim, a fellow UCSD alum and expert in bioinformatics.
“We have a small team of dedicated individuals who are committed to moving ValloVax™ closer to becoming a promising option for those suffering from lung cancer,” Wagner said. “This motivation, combined with the rapid advancement of technology to evaluate a patient’s immune response, will allow Batu Biologics to swiftly move to the forefront of innovative cancer treatments that improve patients’ quality of life.”
About Batu Biologics:
Batu Biologics is a biopharmaceutical company focusing on developing and commercializing allogeneic cell therapies in the area of immune modulation. The company’s products are centered around the idea of creating or breaking immune tolerance. The company is currently in the preclinical stages of drug development for its two flagship products: Immstem™ and ValloVax™. Batu Biologics has filed three provisional patents in the field of cancer immunotherapy and plans to significantly expand its IP in 2014. Recently, Batu Biologics published a novel method of decreasing toxicity of immunotherapy in peer reviewed literature with Dr. Francesco Marincola, President of the Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer, as well as several other internationally-renowned immunotherapists. This publication may be accessed at: http://www.translational-medicine.com/content/pdf/1479-5876-12-127.pdf
Corporate Address:
9255 Towne Centre Drive
Suite 450
San Diego, CA 92121
Laboratory Address:
Janssen Research and Development
3210 Merryfield Row
San Diego, CA 92121
SOURCE: Batu Biologics
Batu Biologics
Dimitri Theofilopoulos, J.D.
Chief Operations Officer
Phone 213-359-3179
Fax 858-597-7090
dimitri.theo@batubiologics.com
www.batubiologics.com
www.facebook.com/BatuBiologics
or
The Dorsee Company
Andrea Siedsma
Phone 760-840-0494
andre@saltwatermedia.net
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