Medtronic Makes Equity Investment in NanoCor Therapeutics, Inc.
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. September 10, 2007 –(BUSINESS WIRE)–NanoCor Therapeutics, Inc. (NanoCor) today announces an investment by Medtronic, Inc. of $3.75 million. NanoCor intends to use this investment to develop and commercialize a gene therapy based therapeutic for Congestive Heart Failure (CHF). Medtronic has also agreed to invest an additional $3.75 million upon NanoCor meeting certain milestones. NanoCor, an affiliate of Rhia Pharm , Inc. (RhiaPharmaceutical), was created to focus on therapeutic cardiac applications and is engaged in the development of proprietary treatments for CHF.
In connection with the investment, Medtronic acquires certain rights to exclusively license NanoCor’s CHF therapeutic. NanoCor’s therapeutic consists of the delivery of a proprietary gene developed at the Massachusetts General Hospital and the University of Cincinnati. The gene will be delivered with RhiaPharmaceutical’s proprietary Biological NanoParticle (BNP™) and Self-Complementary vector technologies, which are derived from human adeno-associated virus vectors (rAAV). This technology was developed at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC) and exclusively licensed to RhiaPharmaceutical. In addition, Medtronic acquires certain rights to develop RhiaPharmaceutical’s BNP™ and Self-Complimentary technologies for the treatment of Central Nervous System (CNS) diseases.
About Congestive Heart Failure
CHF is a condition in which the heart is unable to supply sufficient amounts of blood and oxygen to the body. CHF can result from conditions that weaken the heart muscle, cause stiffening of the heart muscles, or increase oxygen demand by the body tissue beyond the heart’s capability to deliver. Approximately five million patients in the US suffer from CHF.
About NanoCor Therapeutics, Inc.
NanoCor Therapeutics, Inc. (www.nanocorthx.com) is a privately held biotechnology company founded to treat CHF at the molecular level. Using the BNP™ and Self-Complementary technology platforms and a novel, patent-protected gene, NanoCor intends to provide patients currently suffering from CHF with an effective, safe, and non-invasive treatment. NanoCor Therapeutics, Inc. is a subsidiary of RhiaPharmaceutical.
About Rhia Pharm , Inc.
RhiaPharmaceutical (www.rhiapharmaceutical.com) was spun out of UNC and is engaged in the development of novel, intracellular protein therapeutics using its BNPTM and Self-Complementary technologies. BNPsTM may be used to deliver a broad variety of biological material, including therapeutic genes, RNAi, and vaccines, among others, to specific tissues. The company is developing therapeutics for muscular dystrophy (collaborating with the Muscular Dystrophy Association), bone regrowth (collaborating with the Musculoskeletal Tissue Foundation), and hemophilia.
Contacts
NanoCor Therapeutics, Inc.
Sheila Mikhail, 919-942-0252
