Company Profile
Ceregene’s unique combination of proven science, research and clinical development expertise, as well as our strong proprietary position and dedicated management team will enable us to propel our growth factor treatments toward a commercial reality for treating neurodegenerative disorders.
Ceregene, Inc. is a private, San Diego-based biotechnology company focused on the treatment of major neurodegenerative disorders using the delivery of nervous system growth factors. Our clinical programs include CERE-110, an AAV2 based vector expressing nerve growth factor, which is now in Phase 2 clinical trial for the treatment of Alzheimer’s Disease, and CERE-120, which completed a Phase 2 clinical trial in Parkinson’s Disease and is currently being tested in a new Phase 1/2 study. CERE-135 and CERE-140 are in preclinical development for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS or Lou Gehrig’s disease) and ocular diseases, respectively.
Ceregene was launched in January 2001, and our investors include Alta Partners, MPM Capital, Investor Growth Capital and BioSante Pharmaceuticals (Nasdaq: BPAX), which acquired its position following its merger with Cell Genesys, Inc. in October, 2009, as well as Hamilton BioVentures and California Technology Partners. We raised $10.5 million in our initial financing and $32 million in our Series B financing in 2004, led by Alta Partners and MPM Capital. In the first quarter of 2007, we raised an additional $28.1 million in our Series C financing, led by Investor Growth Capital. The company has a highly motivated and efficient team of about 20 employees led by a seasoned management team and board of directors, as well as a scientific advisory board comprised of leaders in their fields.
Neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson’s Disease, Alzheimer’s Disease, ALS and Huntington’s Disease are the result of specific cell loss in the central nervous system. Substantial scientific evidence from numerous international laboratories, as well as within our own labs, has shown that neurotrophic growth factors can have remarkable effects in numerous models of neurodegenerative diseases. However, the inability to accurately and effectively target their delivery has limited their utility in the clinic. Our proprietary AAV-based gene delivery approach solves this problem, providing targeted delivery of the neurotrophic factors in a sustained fashion for the lifetime of the patient following a single dosing procedure. The proprietary use of neurotrophic factor genes, delivered by gene therapy, to treat neurodegenerative diseases provides the company with a broad platform of therapeutic opportunities