 | Overview |
Atairgin Technologies, Inc. is a biotechnology company dedicated to improving the quality of care in women's health. The company's blockbuster platform technology is based on bioactive extracellular regulating lipids, or lysophospholipids, which offer multiple product opportunities in diagnostics, therapeutics, in vitro fertilization (IVF) and contract development.
| Atairgin has initially applied its proprietary technology to develop blood tests in areas of unmet clinical need: the routine, early-stage detection of women's cancers. An independent study (JAMA 1998) demonstrated 90% accuracy in detecting Stage I ovarian cancer utilizing a lipid-based approach and was 100% accurate in detecting Stage II, III, and IV ovarian cancer. The company has recently completed enrollment in its 1,600-patient clinical trial evaluating its proprietary lipid technology in ovarian cancer detection. Atairgin plans to file the Pre-Market Approval (PMA) application with the FDA and the Canadian Health Protection Branch (HPB) with the expectation to commercialize the product immediately following FDA review and marketing approval. Atairgin has subsequently discovered alterations in other bioactive lipids in the blood of patients having breast cancer. The company has completed a pre-clinical validation of its new assay and has announced plans to initiate a nationwide breast cancer trial by the end of the year using a lipid-based application. |
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Atairgin has also documented encouraging results applying its platform technology in several other serious medical conditions. Product development is underway in the areas of oncology therapeutics, women's healthcare, and in vitro fertilization applications, and has assembled a solid intellectual property position.
Atairgin is a privately held Irvine, California company with a strong investor base, which has funded a series of preferred stock placements. The company has an experienced and talented scientific team, a well-seasoned management team, an established board of directors, and a world-class scientific advisory board.
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| History |
Atairgin was incorporated in 1996 by co-founders:
Gordon B. Mills, MD, Ph.D.
Chair of Molecular Therapeutics
MD Anderson Cancer CenterMichael K. Skinner, Ph.D.
Director, Center for Reproductive Biology
Washington State University
Over the course of his career, Dr. Mills studied the growth factors associated with cancer progression and metastasis. His pioneering efforts, coupled with Dr. Skinner's expertise in cell reproduction, led to Atairgin's work in bioactive lipids. Their initial research indicated that evaluation of certain regulatory lipids in the body showed promise as diagnostic tools for reproductive cancers. Specifically, early data revealed that levels of a particular lipid (lysophosphatidic acid or LPA) became elevated in the blood of patients with ovarian cancer.
In early 1997, the company began doing business in a small research facility adjacent to Washington State University in Pullman, Washington. Dr. Skinner initially hired a scientific staff of six and directed the teams work in developing applied diagnostic assays. Concomitantly, Dr. Mills continued cutting-edge research exploring therapeutic applications through Atairgins sponsored research.
In 1998, while maintaining strong collaborative relationships with Washington State University and MD Anderson, Atairgin recruited CEO, Patrick Walsh and moved its operations to Southern Californias technology corridor to provide the supporting environment for the companys rapid growth. Atairgins 24,000 square foot headquarters in Irvine, California, is now a state-of-the-art research & development facility with a commercial GLP testing laboratory and room for continued growth.
Atairgins impressive rate of technological growth and platform expansion has been facilitated by a number of strategic collaborations for sponsored research activities and sample access. By the end of 1999, in order to advance the development of its clinical platform, the company expanded its collaborative research network to include several of the leading clinical research institutions:
The Cleveland Clinic Foundation; Northwestern University, Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center; Sunnybrook Hospital in Toronto, Canada; University of Guelph-Canada.
In August 2000, Atairgin initiated a 1600-patient clinical trial based on the company's groundbreaking research, which demonstrated that levels of certain bioactive lipids found in the body become elevated in the blood of ovarian cancer patients. Researchers believe that altered levels of these lipids are independent of the stage of tumor growth and may, therefore, provide an early detection tool.
Atairgin completed patient enrollment in the clinical trial designed to evaluate this promising diagnostic marker for ovarian cancer detection in June 2001. Over the next several months, the company will complete the sample testing, statistical analysis, and PMA (Pre-market Approval) application with expectations to commercialize the product immediately following FDA review and marketing clearance.
discount hotels in ValkenburgAtairgin has subsequently discovered alterations in other bioactive lipids in the blood of breast cancer patients and has announced plans to initiate a nationwide breast cancer trial by the end of 2001 using a lipid-based application for detection. The company has also documented encouraging results applying its platform technology in several other serious medical conditions. The company is advancing its technology in several oncology therapeutic applications, other diagnostic and IVF products.
| Location & Facilities |
Atairgin Technologies, Inc. is located in the heart of the California technology corridor adjacent to
the University of California, Irvine campus in the newly opened University Research Park in Irvine, CA.
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Hungarian TravellersIn the summer of 2000, Atairgin, having outgrown its headquarters, moved to a new state-of-the-art, 12,000 square foot research facility. In February 2001, as part of the companys commercialization plan, an additional facility expansion allowed the company to double its existing space to include a new GLP development laboratory. With the completion of the expansion, Atairgin now occupies 24,000 square feet of R&D/commercial testing space.
The facility is ideally located for doing business in bioresearch and development, tapping into Californias vast scientific pool and quality of life. Atairgin is literally next-door to University of California Irvine, the fastest growing university in the UC system, and within a few miles of Orange Countys John Wayne/Santa Ana airport.
Orange Countys beautiful beaches, such as Newport Beach, Laguna Beach, and Huntington Beach, are all within minutes of the facility. Los Angeles is less than a one-hour drive to the north and San Diego is just over an hour down the coast. The location provides for an excellent recruiting environment to support Atairgins growth with high caliber scientific talent and expertise.
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