NEW YORK, Jan. 17, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Disruptive platform biotechnology at the center of a Secondcell Bio biotech venture in the United Arab Emirates has been validated by an IPO filing in the United States. Known as Chromovert® Technology, the technology enabled the development of a clinical-stage non-addictive pain blocker that was the subject of an IPO filing by Chromocell Therapeutics on January 11, 2023.
In addition to its use to discover non-addictive pain blockers, Chromovert® was used in strategic natural flavors research collaborations with The Coca-Cola Company, Kraft Foods and Nestle resulting in the discovery of the first natural salt taste enhancing ingredients successfully commercialized to cut sodium in the diet. The use of the technology in applications from natural flavors discovery to blocking pain illustrates the breadth and range of the multi-use discovery tool.
Biological science deals with the human cell. Cells that exactly mimic human disease are fundamental for discovery of new drugs. However, in a sea of cells engineered to model disease, only a tiny number are suitable. Detecting and isolating the optimal cells is extraordinarily difficult. Chromovert® Technology facilitates the detection and purification of even exceedingly rare, desired cells that had previously remained out-of-reach.
Chromovert® was invented by Dr. Kambiz Shekdar in the laboratory of the late Gunter Blobel, MD, PhD, 1999 recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, and John D. Rockefeller, Jr. Professor and Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigator at The Rockefeller University in New York City. Chromocell Therapeutics CEO Christian Kopfli, Drs. Shekdar and Blobel co-founded Chromocell Corporation where Dr. Shekdar served as Chief Scientific Officer as a spin-out of The Rockefeller University.
While Chromovert® was pioneered in the U.S., Dr. Shekdar is transitioning it to the UAE via his second company, Secondcell Bio. High cost and inertia among entrenched teams remain as barriers to many broad-based next-generation technologies. Recently, the UAE has committed to developing its non-oil economy. UAE groups including the sovereign wealth fund Mubadala and Dubai Future Foundation are investing in the country's non-oil economy, including the life sciences and biotechnology. Because there is no legacy biotechnology in the UAE, stakeholders can cherry-pick from their choice of cutting-edge improved technologies to make leap-frog advances over the industry.
"In the UAE, there is no legacy pharma industry, no dinosaurs to shove out of the way," says Dr. Shekdar. "Chromovert® is a disruptive platform technology that opens the floodgates to usher in an era of accelerated drug discovery."
The failure rate in the pharmaceutical industry for the discovery and development of new drugs is a staggering 98%. This points to a dire need for improvements at all stages of the process. Chromovert® has been demonstrated to improve upon the process. The now validated technology is largely automated and scalable to numerous medical applications and needs.
Drug makers earn an estimated average $18.6 billion USD in global revenue per new drug. Current high average failure rates in the drug discovery and development process drive up the average cost of making each new drug to over $1.8 billion USD. The automated, more reliable, and more cost-effective nature of the Chromovert-enabled process permits a paradigm shift: numerous drug discovery programs may be pursued in parallel to yield numerous drug candidates for commercialization at once, all with a greater overall likelihood of success compared to traditional efforts.
A first-hand account of the growing biotech sector in the UAE is available in Dr. Shekdar's monthly column in WestView News, a New York City newspaper where the inventor is Science Editor (See http://westviewnews.org/2023/01/17/from-oil-to-medicine/james/).
Secondcell Bio is a life sciences company established to realize the fullest possible potential of Chromovert® Technology for science and human health. Chromovert® Technology automates and improves the creation of laboratory cells that more accurately mimic human disease, permitting the discovery of superior drug candidates with a greater overall likelihood of success throughout the remainder of the lengthy and expensive process to develop new drugs. The technology has already been validated and successfully commercially applied to a diverse range of highly sought but previously out-of-reach goals. Strategic collaborations with The Coca-Cola Company, Kraft Foods and Nestle used Chromovert® to discover rare natural flavor ingredients for use to cut salt and sugar in the diet. The technology was also used to discover and develop a novel clinical-stage non-addictive pain blocker that was fast-tracked by the FDA and presented at Gov. Chris Christie's panel on the opioid epidemic at The White House. The pain blocker is now the subject of an upcoming IPO by Chromocell Therapeutics. Chromovert® was invented by Dr. Kambiz Shekdar, PhD in the laboratory of his late mentor and doctoral degree advisor, King Faisal & Nobel Prize winner Rockefeller University Professor Dr. Gunter Blobel, MD, PhD. More than $100 million USD was invested to perfect the technology which is now ready for drug discovery at scale™ in the UAE.
For the scientific publication of Chromovert® Technology by Nature Springer, go to: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10529-021-03101-5.
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SOURCE Secondcell Bio, LLC
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