IMULAN BioTherapeutics, LLC
Encyclopedia
About
IMULAN BioTherapeutics, LLC, is a veterinary immunobiology company developing a range of immune based therapies for veterinary medicine. IMULAN BioTherapeutics, LLC has several divisions related to immuno-biology and comparative medicine.IMULAN Clinical Trials, a clinical trial division of IMULAN BioTherapeutics, conducts a variety of comparative disease trials in oncology
Oncology
Oncology is a branch of medicine that deals with cancer...
, asthma
Asthma
Asthma is the common chronic inflammatory disease of the airways characterized by variable and recurring symptoms, reversible airflow obstruction, and bronchospasm. Symptoms include wheezing, coughing, chest tightness, and shortness of breath...
, sepsis
Sepsis
Sepsis is a potentially deadly medical condition that is characterized by a whole-body inflammatory state and the presence of a known or suspected infection. The body may develop this inflammatory response by the immune system to microbes in the blood, urine, lungs, skin, or other tissues...
, cardiology
Cardiology
Cardiology is a medical specialty dealing with disorders of the heart . The field includes diagnosis and treatment of congenital heart defects, coronary artery disease, heart failure, valvular heart disease and electrophysiology...
, and virology
Virology
Virology is the study of viruses and virus-like agents: their structure, classification and evolution, their ways to infect and exploit cells for virus reproduction, the diseases they cause, the techniques to isolate and culture them, and their use in research and therapy...
.
Technologies in Development
- TCR Vax: T-Cell receptor peptide vaccines - unique peptides with immune modulatory and immune regulatory properties. TCR Vax is undergoing development for canine atopic dermatitisAtopic dermatitisAtopic dermatitis is an inflammatory, chronically relapsing, non-contagious and pruritic skin disorder...
and feline stomatitisStomatitisStomatitis is an inflammation of the mucous lining of any of the structures in the mouth, which may involve the cheeks, gums, tongue, lips, throat, and roof or floor of the mouth...
.
- apSTAR Autologous patient specific tumor antigen responseAutologous patient specific tumor antigen responseAutologous Patient Specific Tumor Antigen Response technology, or apSTAR, is a new cancer treatment procedure being developed by IMULAN BioTherapeutics, LLC and for comparative oncology....
Cancer Laser: The apSTAR Veterinary Cancer Laser system is being developed for dogDogThe domestic dog is a domesticated form of the gray wolf, a member of the Canidae family of the order Carnivora. The term is used for both feral and pet varieties. The dog may have been the first animal to be domesticated, and has been the most widely kept working, hunting, and companion animal in...
s, catCatThe cat , also known as the domestic cat or housecat to distinguish it from other felids and felines, is a small, usually furry, domesticated, carnivorous mammal that is valued by humans for its companionship and for its ability to hunt vermin and household pests...
s and horseHorseThe horse is one of two extant subspecies of Equus ferus, or the wild horse. It is a single-hooved mammal belonging to the taxonomic family Equidae. The horse has evolved over the past 45 to 55 million years from a small multi-toed creature into the large, single-toed animal of today...
s with osteosarcomaOsteosarcomaOsteosarcoma is an aggressive cancerous neoplasm arising from primitive transformed cells of mesenchymal origin that exhibit osteoblastic differentiation and produce malignant osteoid...
, fibrosarcomaFibrosarcomaFibrosarcoma is a malignant tumor derived from fibrous connective tissue and characterized by immature proliferating fibroblasts or undifferentiated anaplastic spindle cells.Usually in males ages 30 to 40. Originates in fibrous tissues of the bone. Invades long or flat bones such as femur, tibia,...
, melanomaMelanomaMelanoma is a malignant tumor of melanocytes. Melanocytes are cells that produce the dark pigment, melanin, which is responsible for the color of skin. They predominantly occur in skin, but are also found in other parts of the body, including the bowel and the eye...
, mastocytomaMastocytomaA mastocytoma or mast cell tumor is a type of tumor consisting of mast cells. It is found in humans and many animal species; in human medicine it also can refer to an accumulation or nodule of mast cells that resembles a tumor....
, and other solid tumorTumorA tumor or tumour is commonly used as a synonym for a neoplasm that appears enlarged in size. Tumor is not synonymous with cancer...
/cancerCancerCancer , known medically as a malignant neoplasm, is a large group of different diseases, all involving unregulated cell growth. In cancer, cells divide and grow uncontrollably, forming malignant tumors, and invade nearby parts of the body. The cancer may also spread to more distant parts of the...
.
- Immune Selective Anti-Inflammatory Derivatives imsaids - small peptides which regulate granulocyteGranulocyteGranulocytes are a category of white blood cells characterized by the presence of granules in their cytoplasm. They are also called polymorphonuclear leukocytes because of the varying shapes of the nucleus, which is usually lobed into three segments...
function, modulate neutrophil chemotaxis and activation, reduce the production of reactive oxygen speciesReactive oxygen speciesReactive oxygen species are chemically reactive molecules containing oxygen. Examples include oxygen ions and peroxides. Reactive oxygen species are highly reactive due to the presence of unpaired valence shell electrons....
, and reduce the effects of endotoxinEndotoxinEndotoxins are toxins associated with some Gram-negative bacteria. An "endotoxin" is a toxin that is a structural molecule of the bacteria that is recognized by the immune system.-Gram negative:...
. Immune Selective Anti-Inflammatory Derivatives (ImSAIDs) are a class of peptides discovered to have diverse biological properties, including remarkable anti-inflammatory properties. ImSAIDs work by altering the activation and migration of inflammatoryInflammationInflammation is part of the complex biological response of vascular tissues to harmful stimuli, such as pathogens, damaged cells, or irritants. Inflammation is a protective attempt by the organism to remove the injurious stimuli and to initiate the healing process...
cells, which are immune cells responsible for amplifying the inflammatory response,. The ImSAIDs represent a new category of anti-inflammatory and are unrelated to steroidSteroidA steroid is a type of organic compound that contains a characteristic arrangement of four cycloalkane rings that are joined to each other. Examples of steroids include the dietary fat cholesterol, the sex hormones estradiol and testosterone, and the anti-inflammatory drug dexamethasone.The core...
hormones or non steroidal anti-inflammatories. The ImSAIDs were discovered by scientists evaluating biological properties of the submandibular glandSubmandibular glandThe paired submandibular glands are salivary glands located beneath the floor of the mouth. In humans, they account for 70% of the salivary volume and weigh about 15 grams. Unstimulated in humans, the percentage contribution to whole saliva; ~25% Parotid, Submandibular and Sublingual ~ 67% and...
and salivaSalivaSaliva , referred to in various contexts as spit, spittle, drivel, drool, or slobber, is the watery substance produced in the mouths of humans and most other animals. Saliva is a component of oral fluid. In mammals, saliva is produced in and secreted from the three pairs of major salivary glands,...
. Early work in this area demonstrated that the submandibular gland released a host of factors which regulate systemic inflammatory responses and modulate systemic immune and inflammatory reactions. It is now well accepted that a the immune, nervous and endocrine systems communicate and interact to control and modulate inflammationInflammationInflammation is part of the complex biological response of vascular tissues to harmful stimuli, such as pathogens, damaged cells, or irritants. Inflammation is a protective attempt by the organism to remove the injurious stimuli and to initiate the healing process...
and tissueTissue (biology)Tissue is a cellular organizational level intermediate between cells and a complete organism. A tissue is an ensemble of cells, not necessarily identical, but from the same origin, that together carry out a specific function. These are called tissues because of their identical functioning...
repair. One of the neuroendocrine pathways, when activated, results in the release of immune regulating peptides from the submandibular gland upon neuronal stimulation from sympatheticSympathetic nervous systemThe sympathetic nervous system is one of the three parts of the autonomic nervous system, along with the enteric and parasympathetic systems. Its general action is to mobilize the body's nervous system fight-or-flight response...
nerves. This pathway or communication is referred to as the cervical sympathetic trunk-submandibular gland (CST-SMG) axis, an regulatory system that plays a role in the systemic control of inflammation. Early work in identifying factors that played a role in the CST-SMG axis lead to the discovery of a seven amino acidAmino acidAmino acids are molecules containing an amine group, a carboxylic acid group and a side-chain that varies between different amino acids. The key elements of an amino acid are carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, and nitrogen...
peptidePeptidePeptides are short polymers of amino acid monomers linked by peptide bonds. They are distinguished from proteins on the basis of size, typically containing less than 50 monomer units. The shortest peptides are dipeptides, consisting of two amino acids joined by a single peptide bond...
, called the submandibular gland peptide-T. SGP-T was demonstrated to have biological activity and thermoregulatory properties related to endotoxinEndotoxinEndotoxins are toxins associated with some Gram-negative bacteria. An "endotoxin" is a toxin that is a structural molecule of the bacteria that is recognized by the immune system.-Gram negative:...
exposure. SGP-T, an isolate of the submandibular gland, demonstrated its immunoregulatory properties and potential role in modulating the cervical sympathetic trunk-submandibular gland (CST-SMG) axis, and subsequently was shown to play an important role in the control of inflammation. One SGP-T derivative is a three amino acid sequence shown to be a potent anti-inflammatoryAnti-inflammatoryAnti-inflammatory refers to the property of a substance or treatment that reduces inflammation. Anti-inflammatory drugs make up about half of analgesics, remedying pain by reducing inflammation as opposed to opioids, which affect the central nervous system....
moleculeMoleculeA molecule is an electrically neutral group of at least two atoms held together by covalent chemical bonds. Molecules are distinguished from ions by their electrical charge...
with systemic effects. This three amino acid peptide is phenylalaninePhenylalaninePhenylalanine is an α-amino acid with the formula C6H5CH2CHCOOH. This essential amino acid is classified as nonpolar because of the hydrophobic nature of the benzyl side chain. L-Phenylalanine is an electrically neutral amino acid, one of the twenty common amino acids used to biochemically form...
-glutamineGlutamineGlutamine is one of the 20 amino acids encoded by the standard genetic code. It is not recognized as an essential amino acid but may become conditionally essential in certain situations, including intensive athletic training or certain gastrointestinal disorders...
-glycineGlycineGlycine is an organic compound with the formula NH2CH2COOH. Having a hydrogen substituent as its 'side chain', glycine is the smallest of the 20 amino acids commonly found in proteins. Its codons are GGU, GGC, GGA, GGG cf. the genetic code.Glycine is a colourless, sweet-tasting crystalline solid...
(FEG) and its D-isomerIsomerIn chemistry, isomers are compounds with the same molecular formula but different structural formulas. Isomers do not necessarily share similar properties, unless they also have the same functional groups. There are many different classes of isomers, like stereoisomers, enantiomers, geometrical...
ic form (feG), have become the foundation for the ImSAID category. Cellular Effects of feG: The cellular effects of the ImSAIDs are characterized in a number of publications. feG and related peptides are known to modulate leukocyte (white blood cells) activity by influencing cell surface receptors to inhibit excessive activation and tissue infiltration. One lead ImSAID, the tripeptide FEG (Phe-Glu-Gly) and its D-isomer feG are known to alter leukocyte adhesion involving actions on αMβ2 integrinIntegrinIntegrins are receptors that mediate attachment between a cell and the tissues surrounding it, which may be other cells or the ECM. They also play a role in cell signaling and thereby regulate cellular shape, motility, and the cell cycle....
,and inhibit the binding of CD16b (FCyRIII) antibody to human neutrophils. feG has also been shown to decrease circulating neutrophil and eosinophil accumulation, decrease intracellular oxidative activity and reduced the expression of CD49d after antigen exposure,,.
Management
- Chief Executive Officer - Craig Woods DVM, MS, MBA
- Chief Scientific Officer - Daniel Gingerich DVM, MS
- Chief Operating Officer - Randall Woods DO (ophthalmologist)
- Clinical Director - Brett Cordes DVM
- Business Director - Tom Overbay DVM
Address and Contact
- Kit Bond Science and Technology Incubator
- 4221 Mitchell Avenue
- St. Joseph, MO 64507
- 816.749.4016 Phone
- www.IMULAN.com
Company Partners
- AIM Therapeutics, Inc. - license agreements - (ImSAIDs anti-inflammatory platform)
- University of ArizonaUniversity of ArizonaThe University of Arizona is a land-grant and space-grant public institution of higher education and research located in Tucson, Arizona, United States. The University of Arizona was the first university in the state of Arizona, founded in 1885...
- license agreements - ImmunoPhotonics, Inc. - license agreements (cancer laser)
Sources and notes
IMULAN website- Medical News Today
- DVM Newsmagazine
- Veterinary Products News
- BioSpace - website
- Flinn Foundation website
- Arizona BioIndustry website