Nanotope is a regenerative medicine company that leverages a platform technology to address multiple therapeutic markets. It is developing a suite of products, each customized to regenerate specific tissues: including neuronal, vascular, cartilage, bone, and myocardial. Products are peptide-based, injectable compounds that work with surviving cells in and around the point of injury to initiate and support regeneration. Once regeneration is complete, the compounds are safely broken down and removed by the body. Nanotope's lead candidates, shown to be effective in multiple animal models, target spinal cord regeneration for the reversal of paralysis, cartilage regeneration, and advanced wound healing. Nanotope’s peptide amphiphiles were first developed at Northwestern University by Dr. Samuel Stupp, Professor of Materials Science and Engineering, Chemistry and Medicine and Director of the Institute for BioNanotechnology in Medicine (IBNAM).
Development Strategy
Nanotope's flexible platform enables it to address multiple therapeutic markets. These markets are broad and diverse. Nanotope plans to leverage market leaders within each target market for sales, marketing, and distribution rather than building out necessary infrastructure. It expects to enter into partnerships prior to beginning clinical trials and that partners will fund the trials in return for distribution rights. Nanotope's development costs will be limited relative to other biopharmaceutical companies. Nanotope expects to monetize its platform on a product-by-product basis via milestone payments during and after clinical trials and royalties on products in the marketplace to be paid by development/commercialization partners. Nanotope entered into its first such partnership in 2010.
Spinal Cord Injury
Nanotope has demonstrated in multiple rodent models that it is capable of reversing paralysis associated with Spinal Cord Injury (SCI). The intended therapy is relatively simple and involves an injection of the product candidate directly into the spinal cord within 48 hours of injury. SCI patients traditionally undergo spinal surgery after injury and Nanotope expects that the injection will occur as part of this surgery.
Within the major pharmaceutical markets, 700,000 individuals live with SCIs and there are 34,000 new injuries each year. The U.S. alone spends approximately $15bn/year treating new and existing SCIs.
Spinal cord injury is an attractive initial market for Nanotope:
Cartilage Regeneration
Cartilage does not naturally re-grow in an adult body. Nanotope has developed a compound that has been shown in rabbit models to initiate and support cartilage regeneration. The market for joint failure due to cartilage damage is approximately $10bn and there are significant limitations to current therapy. Nanotope has entered into a targeted partnership with a leader in orthopedics, Smith & Nephew, to commercialize its cartilage regeneration compound(s). The partnership includes up to $26.55mm in milestone payments plus sales royalties.
Wound Healing
Nanotope has developed a scaffold that has been shown to promote blood vessel formation and revascularize ischemic tissue, thereby enhancing healing in animal models of ischemic wounds. Nanotope’s initial products in this area are focused on surgical flap repair and on treatment of non-healing wounds, such as diabetic ulcers. Within the major pharmaceutical markets, there are over 3 million patients with diabetic ulcers, estimated to be approximately $2bn annually in the U.S. alone. The number of diabetic patients worldwide is estimated to double by 2030.