20/20 GeneSystems, Inc.
20/20 GeneSystems, headquartered in Rockville, Maryland (outside of Washington, D.C.), is a revenue stage diagnostics company that uses machine learning algorithms to greatly improve the accuracy of laboratory tests for the early detection of cancer and other diseases. In the most recent calendar year our revenues grew to over $2 million aided by several COVID-19 tests that we are successfully commercializing.
Our multi-cancer early detection blood test (www.OneTest.Ai) measures tumor antigens and uses a machine learning algorithm powered by outcome data from over 230,000 individuals tested in real-world screening settings. OneTest is a highly accessible and affordable pre-test that can be followed up with more expensive and specific circulating tumor DNA tests such as those being developed by Grail and Thrive Earlier Detection. (Those companies were recently acquired for $8 billion and $2 billion respectively.)
20/20’s institutional investors include Ping An, one of the largest digital health and insurance companies in China, and several well-regarded American funds. We are working to an initial public offering in 2021 and are now lining up IPO “crossover” investors.
Mr. Jonathan Cohen
CEORichard Brand
CFOJiming Zhou
COOable cerebral, llc
ACL is a bio-pharmaceutical and medical device company with patented (US & China) technologies and products.
We have achieved our first goal via BrainGlucoseTM by providing timed release of brain energy as circadian therapy to eliminate nightmares, night sweating, hallucinations, which have been saving lives and dignity of many early and mid-stage Alzheimer’s patients; and to help diabetics to avoid nocturnal hypoglycemia for better sleep and protection from seizures, coma or even death.
More excitingly, through communications with FDA and experts in biopharmaceutical fields, we are initiating for phase III clinical study inquiry for our delayed and sustained release of energy product as breakthrough new drug status for Alzheimer’s disease.
We are also looking for investment or partnership to advance our game changing technology product, a noninvasive medical device, AddMemTM, which will be also the world’s first ever product for memory consolidation and recovery.
ACL is also a licensed manufacturer for medical food in Pennsylvania.
Our product can be marketed in China through registration with Chinese FDA as “special medical formulated food”, or apply as a new drug.
Dr. jun xia
Co-Founder / PresidentAchelios Therapeutics
Our proprietary formulation allows for fast and enhanced delivery of active agents across human skin into subdermal tissues.
Achelios is currently developing:
OTC 1% diclofenac topical formulation for the treatment of pain and inflammation. Our product shows improved efficacy, better compliance, photoprotection, and dossing schedule vs. Voltaren® ANDA to be submitted in 4Q 2021.
The next product in development is a superior 3% diclofenac formulation being developed for the prescription market for acute and chronic pain. These product has demonstrated greater efficacy, safety and photostability vs. other topical gels available globally. Our product has also shown efficacy as an opioid-spearing agent in the treatment of pain.
Dr. Crist Frangakis
President & ceoAcon Pharmaceuticals Inc
We are currently raising 5 million dollar fund to support IND-enabling studies for our patented liposomal siRNA for treatment of pulmonary fibrosis and long-acting microsphere for treatment of schizophrenia. We are also developing delayed release nanoemulsion for osteoporosis, and sustained release gel for fungal infection.
Xudong Yuan
CEOAdagene
Mr. Alexander Goergen
Business DevelopmentAequor, Inc.
Aequor is the only company with products that control antimicrobial-resistant (AMR) pathogens at all 3 vectors of transmission.
Twenty-five of our small molecules remove biofilm in minutes, prevent biofilm formation for days, kill AMR and multi-drug-resistant (MDR) pathogens alone and in combination with existing biocides at sub-MIC levels -- reducing the need for harmful, toxic biocides. These 25 are EPA approved and available in ton quantities. They are used in our proprietary products for environmental sanitation: surface cleaners, water treatments and industrial process enhancers (boost algae and yeast biomass by up to 40% for use in biofuels and bio-based co-products (food, feed, nutraceuticals, chemicals, plastics, materials, etc.).
Our new drug candidates are in pre-clinical Hit-to-Leas stage. They kill the latest clinical strains sent to Aequor by the NIH and CDC. The NIH awarded Aequor free pre-IND trials to develop up to 4 of them and the DOD offered the same to develop 5 of them. They are derived from a new genus and several new species of marine microbes that produce “green,” non-toxic chemicals that target Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria and fungi.
Our products uniquely kill bacteria and fungi at all stages of growth -- including biofilm. Biofilm is the first resistance response of microorganisms to protect themselves against environmental stresses and is associated with most infections and diseases. Removal of biofilm by surface scraping, UV, heat, biocides and antibiotics, etc. signal to the underlying microorganisms when and how fast to build a thicker biofilm shield.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) associate biofilm with 90% of hospital-acquired infections, such as those caused by contamination on indwelling medical devices, ventilators, and water and air systems. The CDC recently reported that 20% of U.S. COVID deaths were due to these secondary infections. Additional life-threatening infections are increasingly traced to biofilm in air and water systems in institutional and commercial buildings and homes. For example, Legionnaire’s Disease, which claimed 17 lives, was traced to biofilm in a hotel’s air conditioners that became aerosolized and inhaled. It is no coincidence that every pathogen on the CDC and WHO lists of urgent threats, pandemic threats, and bioterrorist threats is a biofilm-former. Every drug-resistant “Superbug” strain is a biofilm-former and is considered incurable. Additionally, several microbial species are captures in the same biofilm, increasing the incidence of horizontal gene transfer (Li et al., 2001; Angles et al., 1993; Dunny et al., 1995) and spawning the emergence of new antimicrobial-resistant (AMR) strains.
There are few remedies for biofilm. Physical removal (sterilization, scraping, UV) works for a short-term (e.g., biofilm was recorded on a titanium plate within 30 seconds of sterilization). Biocides (antiseptics, disinfectants, antimicrobials, and antibiotics) are designed to kill free-floating (planktonic), actively growing microorganisms, and the dose of needed to disrupt a biofilm is approximately 1000x the concentrations that are effective against planktonic bacteria (Raffa et al., 2003), which is a dose that is lethal to humans. The overuse of biocides and antibiotics has contributed to the emergence of the AMR Superbugs – and left a cumulative and persistent environmental footprint. Natural antimicrobials, such as silver and other metals, are expensive and eventually trigger the formation of thicker biofilm, resulting in the loss of efficacy over time.
If you combat biofilm at all vectors of transmission, you control AMR pandemic threats.
Dr. Marillyn Bruno
CEOAndreessen Horowitz
a16z is defined by respect for the entrepreneur and the entrepreneurial company building process; we know what it’s like to be in the founder’s shoes. The firm is led by general partners, many of whom are former founders/operators, CEOs, or CTOs of successful technology companies, and who have domain expertise ranging from biology to crypto to distributed systems to security to marketplaces to financial services.
We aim to connect entrepreneurs, investors, executives, engineers, academics, industry experts, and others in the technology ecosystem. We have built a network of experts including technical and executive talent; top media and marketing resources; Fortune 500/Global 2000 companies; as well as other technology decision makers, influencers, and key opinion leaders. a16z uses this network as part of our commitment to help our portfolio companies grow their business, so our operating teams provide entrepreneurs with access to expertise and insights across the entire spectrum of company building.
Mr. Nate Nate
Partner