{"id":323,"date":"2018-03-26T11:36:50","date_gmt":"2018-03-26T16:36:50","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.uml.edu\/m2d2\/?p=323"},"modified":"2018-03-26T11:36:50","modified_gmt":"2018-03-26T16:36:50","slug":"meet-an-m2d2-200k-challenge-finalist-versatope","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.uml.edu\/m2d2\/2018\/03\/26\/meet-an-m2d2-200k-challenge-finalist-versatope\/","title":{"rendered":"Meet an M2D2 $200K Challenge Finalist: Versatope"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Versatope

Clockwise from top left: Christopher Locher, CEO\/Co-Founder; Mark Duffy, CFO\/COO; Kien Nguyen, Senior Director, Microbiology; David Putnam, Co-Founder; Matthew DeLisa, Co-Founder; Ly Phan, SVP, Portfolio Management & Preclinical Development<\/p><\/div>\n

Meet\u00a0<\/b>Versatope<\/b>,\u00a0<\/b>one of 20\u00a0<\/b>medtech<\/b>\u00a0startups chosen as finalists in the 7th annual M2D2 $200K Challenge.\u00a0<\/b>SVP Ly Phan<\/b>\u00a0<\/b>described<\/b>\u00a0their innovation and shared the story behind its inspiration and development.<\/b><\/p>\n

What is the innovation you\u2019ve entered in the M2D2 $200K Challenge?<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n

An immuno-therapeutic and vaccine delivery platform made from probiotic exosomes (extracellular vesicles)\u2014designed by nature and customized by\u00a0Versatope\u00a0to deliver immunity.<\/p>\n

What inspired you to develop your\u00a0<\/i><\/b>device?<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n

Our idea\u00a0originated\u00a0at\u00a0Cornell University\u00a0when, one day in a hallway, Matt\u00a0DeLisa, one of our founders, asked Dave Putnam, another\u00a0founder,\u00a0“Dave, do you think we could use\u00a0probiotic exosomes\u00a0[outer membrane\u00a0vesicles]\u00a0for therapeutic applications?”\u00a0Dave hadn’t heard of them\u00a0before,\u00a0so\u00a0Matt explained them\u00a0as extracellular exosomes derived from bacteria.\u00a0Dave went back to his office for a while and realized these could be useful for vaccines and a new way to tailor the immune response to different therapeutics.<\/p>\n

What are the most significant barriers you\u2019ve faced and overcome?\u00a0<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n

We struggled with the safety issue for quite some time before realizing we could engineer out the endotoxin activity that triggers through toll-like receptor-4 (TLR4) and causes bad reactions in people.\u00a0Before successfully addressing the safety concerns, we thought our device would be restricted to animal uses, but now we are looking forward to administering our therapeutics and vaccines into human patients.<\/p>\n

\"Click<\/a>Can you share a \u201cEureka!\u201d moment\u2014a breakthrough in the development of your\u00a0<\/i><\/b>idea?<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n

When the CDC successfully treated ferrets against infection with the human pandemic H1N1 California 2009 strain!\u00a0 After that experiment, Dave\u00a0had the realization that the exosomes had the real potential to become a vaccine and therapeutic delivery system for human diseases.<\/p>\n

If you win, what’s next?<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n

The company will have the lab space it needs to get started on the process development work that is required for the testing of the technology in people. We will also coordinate meetings with the sponsors of M2D2, who will be our business advisors and potential pharmaceutical partners. This is a critical step because the survival of our company depends on ensuring that we have the proper steps in the right order.<\/p>\n

Learn more at\u00a0<\/b>www.versatope.com<\/b><\/a><\/p>\n

You\u2019re invited to meet ALL the finalists in person at the two upcoming events that will conclude the Challenge:<\/b><\/p>\n