Elliot Morales

Immune Control is an emerging pharmaceutical company developing novel, orally available, small molecules for autoimmune/inflammatory diseases. The company is commercializing the discovery that serotonin is a required growth factor for dividing lymphocytes. Certain serotonin antagonists eliminate activated or dividing T- or B-lymphocytes without disturbing resting lymphocytes. The ability to kill activated immune cells selectively has important implications for treating autoimmune/inflammatory diseases, hematologic cancers, and organ transplant rejection. Immune Control is a first-mover and the leader in the emerging field of serotonin-based immunotherapeutics. Their preclinical development program has yielded important insights into the design of orally available, potent, small molecules for autoimmune/inflammatory conditions. Immune Control is focused initially on two diseases: rheumatoid arthritis and asthma. Immune Control designs and develops novel compounds using in vitro and in vivo assays for receptor binding, efficacy, safety, and bioavailability. In 2008, the company plans to nominate two compounds as IND candidates for RA and asthma. In addition, they are conducting phase 1, proof-of-concept clinical trials in multiple myeloma and psoriasis, utilizing a currently approved serotonin antagonist.

The Group's principal activity is to develop proprietary drugs, focusing primarily on therapeutic proteins. Its technologies to develop proprietary versions of protein drugs with proven safety and efficacy and to improve the therapeutic profiles of proteins being developed. Its proprietary drug development portfolio currently consists of two therapeutic protein candidates.GlycoPEG-EPO (NE-180) is a long-acting version of erythropoietin (EPO) produced in insect cells. EPO is prescribed to stimulate production of red blood cells, and it gives treatment of chemotherapy-induced anemia and anemia associated with chronic renal failure. Its second proprietary protein, GlycoPEG-GCSF, is a long-acting version of granulocyte colony stimulating factor G-CSF and it is prescribed to stimulate production of neutrophils (a type of white blood cell). Its trademarks are NEOSE, GlycoPEGylation and GlycoConjugation. It operates predominantly in the domestic market.