InCube's San Antonio Innovation Center Expands with Medical Device Companies, Theracle and iBridge Medical
SAN ANTONIO and SAN JOSE, Calif., May 2, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- InCube Labs, a life sciences research lab focused on developing medical breakthroughs that dramatically improve patient outcomes, today announced the launch of two new life sciences companies in San Antonio. Theracle and iBridge Medical join three existing InCube San Antonio companies, Corhythm, Neurolink and Fe3 Medical.
Theracle is developing a combination therapy for the treatment of brain cancer known as gliomas, one of the most lethal forms of cancer. iBridge Medical is developing a technology platform for enhanced disease management of patients with active implanted medical devices.
"These new companies represent the 21st century innovation and high-wage job creation that are fast becoming a thriving part of San Antonio's economy," said Mayor Julian Castro.
Gliomas represent a clear unmet medical need as approximately 50 percent of patients die within 18 months of a diagnosis, and current treatments are of limited effectiveness. According to the American Cancer Society, about 13,000 will die from brain and nervous system cancers each year. In addition, the five year survival rate is less than 20 percent. Current drug therapies have been limited due to systemic side effects or the inability of drugs to effectively cross the blood brain barrier. Theracle's technology will avoid these problems by delivering a tiny amount of drug directly to the brain via an implanted device. Bypassing the blood brain barrier, Theracle's novel approach has the potential to extend the lives of these patients while limiting systemic side effects.
iBridge Medical is developing a communications platform to enable information sharing between implanted devices and physicians, patients, hospitals and implant manufacturers, resulting in improved patient care. For example, iBridge's technology platform will enable physicians to monitor patient progress, incorporate appropriate information in their Electronic Health Record and give feedback to the patient as necessary. Although five million Americans live with an implantable device, there is no standard platform for remotely managing these patients.
"Our new companies represent exciting opportunities to dramatically improve patient care. In the case of Theracle, we have the potential to extend the lives of thousands of glioma patients each year, while minimizing serious side effects. This is a powerful motivator for us," said Mir Imran, InCube Labs Chairman & CEO.
Imran continued, "In the case of iBridge Medical, we have a major opportunity to streamline how physicians, patients, hospitals and implant manufacturers communicate and share information about the chronic condition of the patient. This has obvious benefits in terms of improving the care for the patient, and reducing healthcare costs."
"Three years ago the City and our partners made a significant financial commitment through the San Antonio Economic Development Corporation to attract InCube Labs to San Antonio," said City Manager Sheryl Sculley. "This key announcement today and the excellent progress being made by the three existing InCube companies confirm the community's investment is paying off for our bioscience industry."
In 2010, InCube Labs and the City of San Antonio announced the creation of InCube Lab's San Antonio Innovation Center where life sciences companies would be located and incubated during the early stages of development. Mir Imran and his team provide the strategic guidance and leadership necessary to develop the technology, conduct clinical trials and assist in the early stages of commercialization.
When the InCube Labs San Antonio Innovation Center was launched, three companies were moved from Silicon Valley to San Antonio – Fe3 Medical, Corhythm and Neurolink. Over the last three years, significant progress has been made to develop the technologies for these companies which target iron deficiency anemia, atrial fibrillation and epilepsy respectively. The products in these companies are proceeding to clinical testing. Theracle and iBridge Medical are the fourth and fifth companies to be located or launched in the San Antonio region since this agreement was established.
"We remain steadfastly committed to our mission of dramatically improving patient outcomes. We are making great progress toward that goal in San Antonio, and we look forward to continuing to contribute to San Antonio's growing healthcare sector," said Phil Morgan, General Manager, InCube San Antonio.
About InCube Labs
Based in San Jose, CA and San Antonio, TX, InCube Labs is a life sciences research lab focused on developing medical breakthroughs that dramatically improve patient outcomes. InCube is led by Mir Imran, an accomplished medical innovator, entrepreneur and venture capitalist, who has founded more than 20 life sciences companies and holds more than 200 patents. Many of Imran's innovations have resulted in new standards of care, including the first FDA-approved Automatic Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator. For more information, please go to www.incubelabs.com.
SOURCE InCube Labs