Transforming Medicinal Properties of Natural Products into New Cures for Mankind
Flavocure Biotech, Inc. aims to be a leader in the transformation of the medicinal properties of natural products into new cures for mankind.
The company, in collaboration with some of the most prestigious research institutions in the world, have discovered ground-breaking cannabis derived molecules and generated preliminary data indicating activity against therapeutically validated kinase mutation targets. This has led to the company’s success in achieving FDA orphan drug designation for their first drug, Creserol™ for the treatment of Acute Myeloid Leukemia (“AML”). The company is committed to combating this disease, along with Pancreatic cancer and Glioblastoma (an aggressive form of brain cancer).
Focus on non-cannabinoid small molecules/derivatives from Cannabis
Oncology (Hematological, Soft tissue & solid tumors)
- Kinases
- Epigenetics
Over half of all drugs introduced between 1940 and 2006 were of natural origin or inspired by natural compounds.
Quinine – Malaria
Penicillin – Antibiotic
Erythromycin
Vincristine – Cancer
Paclitaxel – Cancer
Artemisinin - Malaria
Flavocure has a portfolio of molecules with targeted activity against rare cancers with potential for FDA Orphan Drug Approval
Cancer | Target | Lead ID | Preclinical | IND | Phase 1 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
AML | FLT3 | Cresorol | FDA-ODD | ||
Pancreatic | CSF1R | FBL-03G | FDA-ODD Pending | In Validation | Q2 2020 |
GBM | CSF1R | FBL-03G |
AML (Acute myeloid leukemia); GBM (Glioblastoma); IND (Initial New Drug Application); FLT3 (FMS-like tyrosine kinase 3)
AML remains one of the few blood cancers in which no treatment progress has been made for decades and it remains an unmet area. The company has developed Creserol™, which has been granted Orphan Drug Designation status by the FDA. Flavocure collaborated with research teams at University of Maryland Medical School to further validate the effectiveness of Cresorol in the fight against AML.
Estimated new cases and deaths from AML in the United States in 2016 [1, 2] Number of New Cases and Deaths per 100,000: The number of new cases of acute myeloid leukemia was 4.1 per 100,000 men and women per year. The number of deaths was 2.8 per 100,000 men and women per year. These rates are age-adjusted and based on 2009-2013 cases and deaths.
Estimated New Cases in 2016 | 19,950 |
% of All New Cancer Cases | 1.2% |
Estimated Deaths in 2016 | 10,430 |
% of All Cancer Deaths | 1.8% |
1. SEER Stat Fact Sheets: Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML), National Cancer Institute. http://seer.cancer.gov/statfacts/html/amyl.html
2. American Cancer Society: Cancer Facts and Figures 2016. Atlanta, Ga: American Cancer Society, 2016.
The company has expanded their research into FBL-O3G for pancreatic cancer, in collaboration with Harvard Medical School. The results of the FBL-03G molecule have shown statistically significant results against Pancreatic cancer, in vivo. The company plans to continue their collaboration with Harvard Medical School in order to advance FBL-03G towards an improved treatment and cure for pancreatic cancer.
Flavocure has plans underway for continued research and development:
Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most common brain cancer of adults, and is among the most aggressive and deadly of all cancers. It accounts for more than 21% of all primary brain and CNS tumors.
Results from the preclinical testing of FBL-03G has shown promise in the inhibition of Glioblastoma cancer. The company aims to develop a treatment for this form of cancer which currently has high morbidity rates. The annual incidence in the U.S. is 3 per 100,000 and is an incurable cancer with a median survival of 12 months from diagnosis. Despite decades of intensive surgical treatment, chemotherapy, radio-therapy, and tremendous basic science and clinical research focused on combating this cancer, the prognosis remains virtually unchanged. Most of the promising anticancer agents fail when it comes to GBM because they are unable to cross the blood-brain-barrier (BBB).
Colony-stimulating factor-1 receptor (CSF1R) inhibitors such as FBL-03G targeting tumor-associated macrophages (TAM) have shown promise in mouse models of high-grade GBM. FBL-03G is a small molecule that has been shown to cross the BBB.
Media Outlet: News Medical Life Sciences
Media Outlet: TrialSite News
Media Outlet: Weather Herald
Media Outlet: PressFrom
Media Outlet: CBS Denver
Media Outlet: CBS Washington DC
Media Outlet: CBS Detroit
Media Outlet: Equities.com
Media Outlet: The Independent
Media Outlet: Now This
Media Outlet: Observer
Media Outlet: The Sun
Media Outlet: Yahoo Finance
Media Outlet: Times of CBD
Media Outlet: P & T Community
Media Outlet: Jamaicans.com
Media Outlet: Canex
Flavocure Biotech, LLC recently accomplished a major milestone — receiving Orphan Drug designation from the US Food and Drug Administration for their drug to treat acute myeloid leukemia.
Flavocure’s Founder and Executive Chairman, Dr. Henry Lowe, is a notable Jamaican scientist. Flavocure’s achievement is great news for Maryland and for Jamaica.
Pancreatic cancer is particularly refractory to modern therapies, with a 5-year survival rate for patients at a dismal 8%. One of the significant barriers to effective treatment is the immunosuppressive pancreatic tumor microenvironment and development of resistance to treatment. New treatment options to increase both the survival and quality of life of patients are urgently needed. This study reports on a new non-cannabinoid, non-psychoactive derivative of cannabis, termed FBL-03G, with the potential to treat pancreatic cancer. In vitro results show major increase in apoptosis and consequential decrease in survival for two pancreatic cancer models- Panc-02 and KPC pancreatic cancer cells treated with varying concentrations of FBL-03G and radiotherapy. Meanwhile, in vivo results demonstrate therapeutic efficacy in delaying both local and metastatic tumor progression in animal models with pancreatic cancer when using FBL-03G sustainably delivered from smart radiotherapy biomaterials. Repeated experiments also showed significant (P < 0.0001) increase in survival for animals with pancreatic cancer compared to control cohorts. The findings demonstrate the potential for this new cannabis derivative in the treatment of both localized and advanced pancreatic cancer, providing impetus for further studies toward clinical translation.
Dr. Henry Lowe, PhD. ,Director and Chairman, was educated at University of the West Indies, (B.Sc. Hons.), University of Sydney, (M.Sc.), Manchester University, (Ph.D.), Bolton Institute of Technology England, (Dip. Technical Education), Harvard University and M.I.T, U.S.A., (Post Doctoral Studies). Dr. Lowe served as Permanent Secretary for the Government of Jamaica, Dr. Lowe researched and established the first Ministry of Science & Environment in the CARICOM region. He served as Chairman as well as President & CEO of Blue Cross of Jamaica (including the Caribbean Islands). Dr. Lowe holds many awards and accolades, including the Jamaica Observer Business Leader Award (2006) and the CCRP Living Legend Award (2012); and is the only Jamaican who is a member of the prestigious American Association for Cancer Research (AACR). Dr. Lowe is a member of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, Fellow, Royal Society of Medicine United Kingdom, Harvard Medical School Postgraduate Association, American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists and the American Chemical Society and a Life Member of the New York Academy of Sciences. Dr. Lowe is an Adjunct Professor in the Department of Medicine, University of Maryland School of Medicine, USA and Distinguished Adjunct Professor of Ethno-medicinal Chemistry, University of Technology, Jamaica.
Mr. Swanson is Co-Founder and Executive Vice Chairman of Flavocure Biotech, Inc. a founding partner of the International Phytomedicines Institute at Harvard Medical School. A start-up veteran, Mr. Swanson has served as Co-Founder, President & Chief Executive Officer and Director of Blackline Safety Corp., a preeminent (Deloitte Fastest 500, TSX 50, Profit 500 & IDC Top 10 to Watch) technology company publicly traded on the Toronto Venture Exchange under the trading symbol: BLN. Under his leadership, he company grew to over 100 employees and a market capitalization of nearly $300,000,000. Prior to this, Mr. Swanson was a top revenue earner for several technology companies where he focused on life sciences at Amgen, DaVita, Pfizer and others.
Mr. Swanson holds a degree in Economics from Pepperdine University and a Masters in Business Administration from Graziadio School of Business & Management where he graduated with distinction. He is a guest lecturer at UCLA Anderson School of Management and Pepperdine Graziadio School of Business & Management.
Dr. Toyang has over 20 years of research experience in the field of medicinal plants and pharmacognosy at various research institutions including Heifer International, the National Center for Natural Products Research at the University of Mississippi School of Pharmacy, Natural Products Research Laboratory of the University of Leiden, The Netherlands and the Institute of Human Virology of the University of Maryland School of Medicine. He completed his PhD degree in Pharmacognosy under the supervision of Prof. Dr. Rob Verpoorte at the University of Leiden, The Netherlands. Dr. Toyang is the author of over 25 peer reviewed scientific publications and a holder of two patents and several pending patent applications.
Dr. Philip J. Fagan, Jr., M.D., F.A.C.E.P., is currently medical director of CAN Emergency Physicians, California Hospitalists and Emergency Physicians and ER Physicians Medical Groups. The groups have expanded since 2015 and currently provide emergency medicine and hospital medicine services to seven hospitals in the greater Los Angeles area. Dr. Fagan has extensive emergency medicine and administrative experience. He is currently a Fellow of the American College of Emergency Physicians and has been certified and recertified at regular intervals by the Board of Emergency Medicine. He serves as Chief of Staff of a three-hospital group in Los Angeles. He has also served as Medical Director of McCormick Ambulance Services for twelve years.
Dr. Fagan is a graduate of the University of Notre Dame, Tulane University School of Medicine, with postgraduate studies at the University of Oregon Hospitals and Clinics. Dr. Fagan serves as an emeritus member of the Board of trustees of Tulane University. He also serves on the Library Council at the University of Notre Dame. Dr. Fagan has been chairman of the board of directors and served as Director of Mercury Air Group, a company listed on the American Stock Exchange now NYSE/American, from 1990 to 2000. As CEO of Emergency Department Physicians Medical Group, he practiced emergency medicine and was part of the administrative process. This group was acquired by TeamHealth, a Fortune 1000 Healthcare Provider.
Dr. Swanson, M.D., D.A.B.R., F.R.C.P., served as the Chief of Medical Staff at Cold Lake Hospital and Medical Center after being Chairman of Radiology Consultants Associated (“RCA”). As a founding partner of RCA, Dr. Swanson grew the enterprise over three decades to become the largest Radiology practice in Western Canada providing service to the Peter Lougheed Hospital, Rockyview Hospital and twenty Diagnostic Imaging offices. Dr. Swanson also served as Director of the Alberta Medical Association and Chief Representative on Economics. He earned Fellowships fromThe Royal College of Physicians & Surgeons and the American Board of Radiology.
As an entrepreneur, Dr. Swanson was founder and Chairman of Goldcap, Inc. a publicly traded mining company, acquired by Argosy Minerals Inc.; Director of Bison Petroleum, Ltd. a publicly traded oil and gas company on the Toronto Stock Exchange; Director and Chairman of the Audit Committee for Imaging Dynamics, a Toronto Stock Exchange listed company focused on manufacturing and marketing state-of-the-art digital radiography systems. Dr. Swanson also served as a founding Director for Blackline Safety Corp, a TSX 50 company listed on the Toronto Venture Exchange.
Dr. Swanson is a published expert in the New York State Journal of Medicine and The American Journal of Roentgenology, Radium Therapy and Nuclear Medicine.
Dr. Swanson holds a Medical Doctorate from the University of Manitoba and specialized in Radiology at Cornell University in New York.
Dr. Jose Luis Calderon, MD, Adjunct Associate Professor, Division of General Internal Medicine & Health Services Research, Department of Medicine, the David Geffen School of Medicine, UCLA, Clinical Research, and Adjunct Researcher for the Rand Corporation. He obtained a Doctorate of Medicine from Harvard Medical School and post-graduate training in Family Medicine (SUNY Health Sciences Center) and Neurology (New York University/Bellevue Hospital Center). Dr. Calderon, completed fellowship programs in epidemiology (Johns Hopkins School of Public Health), health literacy (AAMC Health Services Research Institute), and social equity/health disparities (Meharry College of Medicine/Vanderbilt University). Dr. Calderon is an expert pharmaco-epidemiology. Dr. Calderon is currently co-Director for the UCLA Center for Maximizing Outcomes and Research on Effectiveness (C-MORE).
Mr. John Stiklorious, MBA, was retired as a partner at Marvin & Palmer Associates, a global equities hedge fund, where he spent 25 years running marketing and client contact. He was instrumental in the launch of the fund, contributing substantially to its growth which reached $16B assets under management. Prior to Marvin & Palmer, he worked as Vice President of Institutional Sales for First Boston. Jon brings over 40 years' of business expertise to Flavocure’s Advisory Board. He holds an MBA from The Wharton School and a BA from the University of Pennsylvania.
Mr. Deasey provides advisory services to start ups in the medical and technology sectors. He previously served as CEO, CFO and COO of public (Celsion Corp. and Northwest BioTherapeutics) and privately held (Seguro Surgical Inc.) Medtech companies, Tony has raised in excess of $100MM and successfully managed 2 exits. Prior to his migration into Medtech Tony was CFO of Church and Dwight Co Inc. (NYSE:CHD) Arm & Hammer), served as CFO of Rollerblade, owned by the Goldman Sachs and the Benneton Family, and World Kitchen Inc., a KKR Company, and had held increasingly senior positions at Unilever, Chesebrough Ponds and Price Waterhouse.
Thomas Lang, PhD is an experienced pharmaceutical and biotech industry veteran, graduating with degrees in Chemistry and Pharmacy. Dr. Lang previously served as the President and Vice Chairman of Serono, Inc., a biopharmaceutical business of Merck, headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland.
info@flavocure.com
701 East Pratt Street
Baltimore, MD 21202