GYEONGGI-DO, South Korea & GAITHERSBURG, Md.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--D&D Pharmatech, Inc. (D&D), a clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on development and commercialization of revolutionary medicines, today announced the launch of their fourth subsidiary, Valted Seq. D&D Pharmatech is also the parent company of Neuraly, Precision Molecular, and Theraly Fibrosis.
Valted Seq is focused on the discovery of neurodegenerative pathways and biomarkers to inform and accelerate development of new therapeutics and diagnostics, including companion diagnostics which play a critical role in enabling advanced therapeutics. To achieve this, the company has created the world’s largest repository of single-cell sequencing data from high-quality, clinically characterized brain tissues of patients with neurodegenerative diseases including Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.
“We are excited to be a member of the D&D Pharmatech family of companies and are grateful for their investment which will ultimately improve our ability to diagnose and treat neurodegenerative diseases,” said Valina Dawson, Ph.D., Interim Chief Executive Officer of Valted Seq. “Valted Seq was founded on the belief that a deeper understanding of neurodegenerative pathways is essential to develop precision therapeutics and identify novel biomarkers to diagnose, guide therapies and monitor some of our most challenging and devastating diseases. We expect this unprecedented repository of single-cell genomics, which Valted Seq will explore using advanced big data analytics, will accelerate progress towards better outcomes for patients.” Dr. Dawson is Director of the Neuroregeneration and Stem Cell Programs in the Institute for Cell Engineering at the Johns Hopkins University.
The ongoing collection and comprehensive analysis of thousands of brain tissue samples using Valted Seq’s state-of-the-art single-cell analysis technology will support a number of projects including development of a first-in-class liquid biopsy assay for blood-based biomarkers for detection and monitoring of Parkinson’s disease. The assay is being developed to be utilized in both internal and external clinical trials for emerging Parkinson’s therapies; Valted Seq has already been approached by pharmaceutical companies seeking access to the proprietary biomarker assays. The company continues to expand and has added experienced leaders in bioinformatics and diagnostics to advance the technology through product development and towards commercialization.
“We are excited to introduce Valted Seq as one of D&D’s companies,” said Dr. Seulki Lee, Chief Executive Officer of D&D Pharmatech. “Our subsidiaries, which to date have originated from technologies from leading research institutes, are examples of how D&D and academia have worked in close collaboration to build a powerful engine to accelerate translation of innovation from the academic setting into a framework for commercialization. The launch of Valted Seq exemplifies this successful type of collaboration and represents a model that D&D is extending to other preeminent universities.”
In recent years, D&D has invested more than $7 million in sponsored research at leading medical research institutions to advance potentially game-changing healthcare innovations.
By establishing a set of subsidiaries that cover the full spectrum of screening, diagnosis, therapy and therapeutic monitoring of diseases affecting the central nervous system, D&D is creating synergies that would not otherwise be achievable. Three subsidiaries are enabling a comprehensive Total Care approach to neurodegeneration: Valted Seq is identifying novel biomarkers for diagnosing and screening Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s disease; Precision Molecular is advancing neuromolecular imaging to identify and/or follow patients for therapies being developed by Neuraly and is developing new imaging biomarkers based on Valted Seq discoveries. The academic founders of these subsidiaries remain deeply engaged with each other and industry experts, enabling D&D to create a continuum from groundbreaking science to innovative pipelines.
About D&D Pharmatech
D&D Pharmatech is a clinical-stage global biotech company that funds the development of revolutionary medicines through disease-specific subsidiary companies founded and guided by top-tier medical research faculty. This corporate structure creates a unique opportunity to accelerate translation of cutting-edge research into lifesaving therapeutic products for patients. The company’s product pipeline focuses on a range of indications including neurodegenerative and fibrotic diseases. D&D Pharmatech is the parent company of U.S.-based Neuraly Inc., Theraly Fibrosis Inc., Precision Molecular Inc. and Valted Seq, Inc. For more information, please visit http://www.ddpharmatech.com/
