Companies To Watch

Azitra is a small, young, early-stage company developing microbial biotherapeutics for conditions arising on the skin that can be addressed by using the microbiome.

At the end of every year since we began the monthly column, Companies to Watch, I have gone back to the featured companies and asked each one to send me a short assessment of its progress since it appeared in Life Science Leader.

Since launching our Companies To Watch section in 2012 we have covered more than 50 companies. This year we plan to periodically look back at some of them and see where they are today. 

Synspira is developing glycopolymer drugs for infection, inflammation, and congestion in the lungs. According CEO Shenda Baker, “We would like to see more companies in this space. But we are also looking forward to leading the way.”

Athersys is mass-producing off-the-shelf stem cells for multiple conditions in the cardiovascular, neurological, inflammatory, and immune disease areas.

Symbiotix Biotherapies is an early pioneer of the microbiome space, preparing to enter clinical-stage development of its lead compound for treating MS and IBD.

“We are a vaccine company,” says CEO Mei Mei Hu. “We’re developing a new class of vaccines for endogenous proteins, leveraging a commercially successful technology platform in which we’ve invested more than 20 years.”

Acceleron has four drugs in development in the hematology, neuromuscular, and pulmonary disease areas. Its lead drug luspatercept has completed Phase 3 trials for treating myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS).

This French company is addressing vertigo and hearing loss inside the inner ear.

Our company to watch this month is Landos Biopharma, which is aiming for better targeting and better delivery of treatments for GI and other autoimmune diseases.

CytoDyn’s expressed ambitions seem bold but reasonably free of hyperbole. It is only natural to hope for the best possible outcome here, considering the obvious need for new HIV and other immunological therapies.

AmpliPhi Biosciences is pushing bacteriophage-therapy development for drug-resistant infections — not to replace, but possibly to augment antibiotics.

We check in with the companies we profiled from this section in 2017 to see what has changed … if anything.

This month’s Company To Watch is 10-person Zavante, which is challenging drug resistance with a retooled antibiotic and a broad mechanism of action.