Our Sponsors and Advisors
Acknowledging Our Valued
Partners and Collaborators
Overview
The InLighta team, led by Jenny J Yang, Ph.D., the company’s founder and Regents Professor /Distinguished University Professor of Biochemistry and Biophysical Chemistry at Georgia State University, is pioneering the development of innovative contrast agents. Dr. Yang’s research team has created a novel platform for developing protein MRI gadolinium-binding contrast agents (ProCAs) by designing and embedding several metal binding sites into a scaffold protein, leading to the development of significantly improved MRI contrast agents for clinical applications. Two categories of protein contrast agents have been developed. One, exemplified by ProCA32, is derived from human parvalbumin with mutations incorporated into the metal binding sites to improve affinity and selectivity for gadolinium. The second category, as exemplified by ProCA32.CXCR4 (liver cancer detection) and ProCA32.HER2 (breast cancer detection) builds on ProCa32 by adding a ligand binding moiety that selectively binds a target receptor overexpressed on the tissue of interest.
At present, these revolutionary contrast agents produce higher contrast and more precise imaging that current commercial contrast agents. InLighta is currently pursuing various strategies to move these products into the pre-clinical trial stage for eventual commercial use. This presents a unique and potentially lucrative opportunity for investors to participate in the evolution of imaging technology for a rapidly growing global market.
Market Projection
InLighta is currently developing high-contrast agents for MR imaging. The ProCA® series of contrast agents includes both blood pool agents and targeted contrast agents for specific biomarkers.
Sponsors/Investors
2019 – Non-Invasive Contrast Enhanced Early Detection of Melanoma Liver Metastasis (5R42CA183376-04)
2019 – Detection and Staging of Liver Fibrosis By Precise MRI (5R42AA025863-03)
2018 – Non-Invasive Subtyping of Aggressive Tumor and Its Environment (2612018000025C-0-0-1)
2017 – Noninvasive Contrast Enhanced Early Detection of Melanoma Liver Metastasis (2R42CA183376-02)
2016 – Molecular Imaging of Early Stage of Liver Fibrosis By Novel Protein Agents (1R41AA025863-01)
2014 – Enable Early and Sensitive In Vivo Detection of Liver Metastasis (1R41CA177034-01A1)
Product Pipeline
Advisors & Collaborators
Zhi-ren Liu, PhD
- Professor in Biology Department at Georgia State University.
- Specializes in studying the effects of anti-cancer drug treatments and designing disease models for MRI.
Andrew Wang
- President and Founder of Ocean Nanotech.
- Expert in the development of new MRI contrast agents with experience in starting and running small businesses.
Hans Grossniklaus, MD, MBA
- Clinical scientist directing an ocular oncology laboratory.
- Provides expertise in animal model preparation, pathological evaluation, and correlation of pathology changes with MRI images.
Shanping Yu, MD, PhD
- Professor at Emory University, Department of Anesthesiology, and Department of Hematology/Oncology.
- Provides non-human primate models for toxicity, immunogenicity, and PK/PD studies for monkey imaging.
Pardeep Mittal
- Director of MRI Body Imaging at Emory University.
- Research experience in advanced MR imaging techniques for studying patients with liver cancer.
Brad Farris
- Associate Professor at Emory University School of Medicine.
- Investigates human liver diseases with immunohistochemistry and whole slide imaging.
