By Shaoyu Chang, MD, MPH,  Senior Research Analyst, LSN

Our body is home to millions of microorganisms that form a symbiotic, ecological community, known as microbiome. With the development in genomics and microbiology, the crosstalk between microbes and the body has been gradually deciphered. Potential new treatments have emerged, with some coming close to fruition. This week we have decide to take a dive into the Life Science Nation (LSN) Company Platform to get a snapshot of the current landscape in this field.

While microbiome research is still in its infancy, through the LSN Company Platform we were able to find 40 companies currently working on new technologies in the microbiome field. As shown in Figure 1, the United States is the leading country in terms of number of microbiome-related companies, while Western European countries including France, Sweden, the United Kingdom, and Netherlands also have significant activity.

The majority of companies we identified are working on at least one microbiome-based therapy or diagnostic tool. Fecal microbiota transplant (FMT) is arguably the most promising product of microbiome research field. FMT transfers bacterial colonies from healthy individuals to patients with recurring Clostridium difficile-associated disease and has shown consistent efficacy [1]. Other researchers are exploring microbiome-based therapeutics for a wide range of conditions including acne, diabetes, and autoimmune diseases.

The microbiome therapy pipeline is comparatively small but shows promise. We have identified 31 microbiome-related therapeutic assets from the LSN platform as of June 2015 (Figure 2). Over 90% of these assets are in preclinical development through phase 2 clinical trials, with only one in phase 3. No microbiome drug has ever received market approval to date. As one would expect, infectious and parasitic diseases are the leading therapeutic field in terms of number of assets, followed by diseases of the digestive system. Endocrine, nutritional, and metabolic diseases such as diabetes have also become targets for microbiome therapies.

Developmental challenges exist, such as lack of knowledge of cause-effect relationship and difficulty in defining the right combination of therapeutic microbes. As the scientific community overcomes these barriers and the field matures, we expect the number of microbiome-related assets continue to grow and diversify as the science matures.

Pharmaceutical corporations are constantly on the search for new pathways to crack the disease code. Now a growing number of big pharmaceuticals are embracing microbiome as an emerging source of novel therapeutics [2]. Furthermore, a couple of venture capital funds have been established with a declared mandate invest in microbiome [3]. This, combined with the highly anticipated IPO of the frontrunner in this field [4] demonstrates the growing level of interest and activity in this field. The LSN team will keep you informed as we continue to track trends in microbiome research.

1. Fergus Shanahan, Separating the microbiome from the hyperbolome. Genome Medicine (2015) 7:17.
2. Alex Lash, With Vedanta Deal, J&J Marks Big-Pharma Milestone in the Microbiome. Xconomy.com. 13 Jan, 2015.
3. Press Release, Next Closing Brings Seventure Partners’ Health for Life Capital Investment Vehicle to €100m. Seventure Partners website. 19 Mar, 2015.
4. John Carroll, Pioneering microbiome upstart Seres Therapeutics targets a $100M IPO. FierceBiotech.com. 28 May, 2015.

By Michael Quigley, Director of Research, LSN

With just a few days left until the RESI@TMCx kicks off, we wanted to take a look into the partnering system to see what kinds of meetings have been booked. So far, over 550 meetings have been set up through the system. The chart below (Figure 1) shows the meetings booked so far at RESI@TMCx by the types of organizations that are participating.

The sheer number of meetings, however, is not what makes the RESI conference a valuable event; rather, it is the breakdown of who is in those meetings. The chart below (Figure 1) shows the meetings booked so far at RESI @ TMCx by the types of organizations that are participating.

In total, 75% of the meetings booked so far are between investors and start-ups across the sectors of biotech therapeutics, medical devices, diagnostics, and healthcare IT. Start-up–investor meetings are the staple of the RESI conference. Enabled by LSN’s proprietary investor data and partnering platform, these meetings are built around a fit between the company and investor to help foster meaningful connections and lasting relationships.

To take a deeper look into who is meeting with whom, let’s peel back another layer to see the types of investors that are meeting with these start-ups at RESI@TMCx (see Figure 2).

 

The diversity of investor groups who are taking meetings helps to ensure that entrepreneurs have the chance to evaluate the full spectrum of private funding and partnership options. Large strategic companies in the pharma and medtech spheres along with their corporate venture divisions have taken nearly half of the total meetings. This could reflect the increasing level of interest from these players in identifying external innovation and building relationships early on. Both venture capital firms and angels represent a similar number of meetings taken followed by endowments/foundations and family offices. Understanding the types of active investors for which your opportunity is best positioned is crucial to your success as an entrepreneur, and very few conferences offer the diversity of investors that RESI brings to the table.

RESI also looks to create an atmosphere that leads to a huge number of ad hoc meetings. Whether in a conference room after a panel, at the receptions before and after events, or in the exhibition hall while viewing the RESI Innovation Challenge, LSN attendees have the opportunity to engage with each other in a highly productive environment throughout the day. We are very excited to see everyone in Houston and are looking forward to facilitating new, meaningful connections!

By Scott Parks, Director of Marketing, LSN 

Welcome to the second installment of the LSN Summer Chapter Series. This week we’ll finish up the legal section of The Life Science Executive’s Fundraising Manifesto by covering the rest of the necessary regulatory underpinnings for your fundraising campaign: how to market your offering and potentially tap the crowd for capital.

Chapter 2, “The Legal Landscape — Crowdfunding and IPOs,” was contributed by Robert H. Cohen, Esq. This chapter provides a comprehensive look at the possibilities created for life science companies by the JOBS Act of 2012, including crowdfunding, publicizing a private offering under Regulation D, and new regulations for IPOs. Cohen takes the reader through the nuances of what is and is not permitted in terms of publicizing your offering, and also explains the different types of securities that might be offered.

Click here to download/print the PDF.

We hope you enjoy this chapter. Next week, join us for “Chapter 3: Going It Alone or Choosing a Fundraising Partner.”

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