CINCINNATI, March 09, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Orange Grove Bio, a preclinical drug investment and development firm, and Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center today announced the establishment of a collaboration designed to advance the development and commercialization of novel therapeutics by supporting the translation of scientific discoveries made by researchers at Cincinnati Children’s. The collaboration aims to increase entrepreneurship and education as well as boost promising technologies emerging from Cincinnati Children’s. These efforts will be focused in the areas of autoimmune and inflammatory diseases, oncology, and cell and gene therapies.
Cincinnati Children’s has a rich history of developing new innovations, including the Sabin oral polio vaccine, another vaccine to combat rotavirus, the first practical heart-lung machine, the identification of surfactant proteins as a routine treatment for respiratory distress syndrome in premature infants, and the first human esophagus organoid grown from pluripotent stem cells.
“We have identified Greater Cincinnati as one of the most promising up-and-coming hubs of cutting-edge biopharmaceutical research within the U.S., and the talented scientists at Cincinnati Children’s are one of the primary drivers of this innovation,” said Marc Appel, Orange Grove Bio’s chief executive officer. “By working collaboratively with Cincinnati Children’s and other leading institutions across Ohio, we can help accelerate the translation of the breakthrough discoveries that are happening everyday within laboratories throughout the state.”
With its corporate headquarters located in the Cincinnati Innovation District (CID) and a partnership already in place with the University of Cincinnati, Orange Grove is working aggressively to cultivate the biotechnology landscape within not just the greater Cincinnati area but the entire the state of Ohio. To this end, the company will continue to increase its on-the-ground presence by onboarding new team members from the Cincinnati area, who will perform critical scientific and business functions.
Abram Gordon, vice president of Cincinnati Children’s Innovation Ventures, shared: “Our researchers are advancing novel science that has the potential to make a meaningful difference in the lives of patients dealing with a broad range of human disease. By collaborating with Orange Grove Bio, we are building a bridge that will enable more rapid translation of our researchers’ discoveries, accelerating their advancement into clinical development and toward the commercial market. We are excited that Orange Grove Bio is planting roots in Cincinnati, which we believe will allow our collaboration to operate even more efficiently while helping to elevate the stature of our region.”
Under terms of the collaboration, Orange Grove Bio will provide commercialization guidance and support to Cincinnati Children’s Innovation Ventures. Orange Grove Bio’s chief business operations officer, Ryan Fox, will advise on the potential of emerging technologies from the Cincinnati Children’s Innovation Ventures pipeline. In addition, Orange Grove Bio leaders will be available to speak with interested post-doctoral students about internship opportunities and offer seminars for investigators and researchers.
“We are excited to have the opportunity to collaborate with Cincinnati Children’s Innovation Ventures as well as their faculty and young scientific talent. Importantly, the location of Orange Grove’s headquarters right near the main campus of Cincinnati Children’s will offer key accessibility advantages, allowing our team to directly interact with researchers,” said Mr. Fox.
Orange Grove Bio’s mission is to develop new therapeutic options for patients by harnessing the significant research potential found in universities and academic medical centers across the United States. Orange Grove Bio fosters strong relationships with technology transfer offices outside of the traditional medical technology hubs of Boston and San Francisco. Collectively, Orange Grove Bio’s team possesses decades of drug development and company creation experience, allowing it to build and finance innovative programs from the research and development stage to clinical trials.
About Cincinnati Children’s
Cincinnati Children's ranks among the top five in the nation in U.S. News & World Report's 2021-22 listing of Best Children's Hospitals. A nonprofit, academic medical center established in 1883, Cincinnati Children’s is one of the top three recipients of pediatric research grants from the National Institutes of Health. The medical center is internationally recognized for improving child health and transforming delivery of care through fully integrated, globally recognized research, education, and innovation. Additional information about technologies developed at Cincinnati Children’s may be found at Innovation.CincinnatiChildrens.org
About Orange Grove Bio
Orange Grove Bio (OGB) is an emerging, preclinical, capital allocation and asset development biotech company. OGB partners with universities, academic medical centers, and entrepreneurs to develop innovative treatments for important diseases, particularly cancer and immune disorders.
