(1888PressRelease)
October 30, 2008 - Raleigh, N.C., Don Wilson, the CEO of Endacea, Inc., an emerging RTP biopharmaceutical company engaged in developing proprietary A1 adenosine receptor antagonists as drugs for asthma, sepsis, and biodefense, will lead part of the discussion at the November 6, 2008, RTP Tech Event at Goodnight’s.
Endacea has been developing products based on discoveries made by Constance N. Wilson, M.D. Dr. Wilson is Endacea's Founder and Chief Scientific Officer and the inventor of its purinoceptor-based technologies. Her research has focused on the role of adenosine receptors and P2X purinoceptors in a wide range of diseases. With a loan from the N.C. Biotechnology Center, support from angel investors, and a series of grants from the National Institutes of Health, Endacea has demonstrated therapeutic efficacy for the Company’s lead compound, L-97-1: 1) superior to that of Merck’s Singulair® in a rabbit model of allergic asthma, 2) in a rat model of intraabdominal polymicrobial sepsis, and 3) in a bioterrorism rat model of pneumonic plague. Dr. Wilson recently received international recognition through her appointment as Editor of the next volume of the Handbook of Experimental Pharmacology, “Adenosine Receptors in Health and Disease.”
In recent NIH/NIAID-funded studies in collaboration with Saint Louis University, Endacea demonstrated that L-97-1 plus ciprofloxacin administered 72 hours after exposure to Y. pestis, the bacteria responsible for pneumonic plague, provides statistically significant improvement in survival and lung pathology versus cipro alone. This animal model tests the scenario where terrorists release aerosolized Y. pestis in a major airport or subway system or by flying a crop duster over a stadium full of people.
“In 1996, Dr. Wilson started up Endacea in the RTP area with a loan from the N.C. Biotechnology Center, SBIR funding from NIH/NIAID, and with support from angel investors. In 2006, Endacea received a $75,000 grant from the One North Carolina Small Business Innovation Research Matching Funds Program to match the Company’s $925,000 SBIR Phase I biodefense grant,” said Don Wilson, the CEO of Endacea.
“When you are using retirement savings to help move innovative technology to the patients who need it, even a small grant or loan is immensely helpful in supporting operations while the Company attracts additional capital based on scientific success. I look forward to explaining how Endacea fits into the economic development picture of the RTP economy,” Wilson added.
Mr. Wilson received his AB in Economics from Yale University, his MBA from Harvard Business School and his JD from Harvard Law School. He is a member of the Bar in North Carolina. In addition to managing Endacea, Wilson is a member of the Executive Committee of The Atlantis Group, a member managed angel investor venture capital fund.
“Part of the logic of holding the RTP Tech Event is to give promising companies, like Endacea, a platform for describing their products and for obtaining the capital that they need to continue their research and development,” said Tom Vass, the investment advisor who organizes the Tech Event.
The RTP Tech Event is an innovation collaboration network of companies from the 9 high tech manufacturing value chains in the RTP regional economy. Each month, local executives from two different industrial sectors present their thoughts on technology, innovation and new product development from their own industry, in an effort to stimulate ideas for technology crossover between local manufacturing sectors.
After the two presentations, the floor is open for discussion about ways to improve the local economy, to brainstorm for ideas on product innovation, and for ways to promote local companies. At the end of each session, the floor is open for a budding entrepreneur or inventor to stand up and give a five minute elevator pitch on his or her venture. “We call this opportunity “Your Five Minutes of Fame at Goodnight’s,” said Vass.
Registration for the monthly event is available at MeetUp.com. Annual membership in the RTP Tech Event is $50, and there is a $10 door fee that includes the purchase of the first drink and a discount on the comedy show that night at Goodnight’s.
About Endacea, Inc.: Endacea is developing a series of proprietary A1 adenosine receptor antagonists as drug candidates for asthma, sepsis, and other inflammatory diseases and as better diuretics for patients with congestive heart failure and renal impairment. Endacea has also patented the use of P2X purinoceptor antagonists to treat disorders that result in fibrosis and sclerosis, e.g. rheumatoid arthritis, and other indications. The Company’s growing patent estate includes 15 issued and 11 pending U.S. patents and 18 issued or allowed international patents. For additional information, see http://www.endacea.com, or contact Don Wilson. dwilson ( @ ) endacea dot nctda dot org, 919-406-1888 x1400 dot
About the RTP Tech Event @ Goodnights. Our event's mission is to create more business for local firms and to increase the rate of new product development in the RTP regional economy. We call this "new business idea brainstorming." Each month, executives from local manufacturing firms, product development engineers and people with new business ideas for new products get together to brainstorm ideas for what types of new products may be successful in the RTP market. The event is held at Goodnight’s Comedy Club, located at 861 West Morgan St in Raleigh. http://newtech.meetup.com/115/ Contact Tom Vass tvass ( @ ) privatecapitalmarket dot com 919 9754856.
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