Rimon Therapeutics

Press Release

Howard — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 11:33:00 -0400

Rimon Therapeutics - participant and beneficiary in $ 19.2 million product development program

TORONTO ON, June 30, 2009 - Rimon Therapeutics is pleased to announce that the Government of Ontario will provide $ 6.4 million in Ontario Research Fund support for the research and development of "Theramers" as therapeutic products and for regenerative medicine applications. Theramers" (Therapeutic polymers) are a class of novel biomaterials unique to Rimon that have application in the treatment of important human diseases with large markets, such as chronic skin wounds (e.g., diabetic ulcers and bedsores), periodontal disease, various ophthalmic conditions, and osteoarthritis.

Matching funding from Rimon Therapeutics, the University of Toronto, and four other Ontario-based research institutions will bring total funding for this initiative to $ 19.2 million over the next 4 years.

Richard McCrae, Executive Chairman of Rimon Therapeutics states, "As a company we are committed to rapidly turning cutting edge Canadian science into global remedies – and are thrilled by the Ontario Government’s vision and support of this aim."

University of Toronto Professor, Michael Sefton, will oversee the scientific program and lead the network of world-class researchers assembled to conduct the work. "Theramers are solid materials (plastics) that have drug-like activity. For example, they can be made into advanced wound dressings that don’t require drugs, growth factors or cells for their therapeutic function – the dressing itself imparts the healing benefits. Financial support from Rimon and the provincial government will enable us to realize the potential of Theramers as quickly as possible", says Dr. Sefton. The other principal investigators in the initiative all have specific expertise in one of the priority applications for Theramers and excellent track records working with industry. They include: Professor Michelle Bendeck, University of Toronto, Dr. Rita Kandel, Mount Sinai Hospital, Professor Christopher McCulloch, University of Toronto, Dr. Philip Sherman, The Hospital for Sick Children, Professor Heather Sheardown, McMaster University, and Dr. Bradley Strauss, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre.

Strategic management and funding provided by Rimon will take a series of large market product candidates from conception through regulatory approval and arrange for their worldwide commercialisation. According to Dr. Michael May, President of Rimon Therapeutics, "Rimon has a strong product focus, and a track record of working collaboratively with academic research institutions to advance its Theramer technology. The ORF funding strengthens our ability to align our revolutionary technology with world-class resources and the needs of the marketplace." He adds, "Now, we can think even bigger and push even faster to market."

About the Ontario Research Fund of the Ministry of Research and Innovation

The Ontario Research Fund (ORF) is a key part of the government's plan to support scientific excellence by supporting research that can be developed into innovative goods and services that will boost Ontario's economy. Through a commitment of $730 million over four years, Ontario is providing talented researchers with the funding they need to undertake cutting-edge research.

More information on the Ontario Research Fund and the June 23rd, 2009 Ontario Government press release with respect to this funding can be found at: www.mri.gov.on.ca/english/news/ORF062309_toronto_bd.asp

About Rimon Therapeutics

Rimon Therapeutics is an emerging life sciences company developing unique therapeutics for large indications based on its proprietary Theramer® platform. Theramers are medical polymers that provide therapeutic function in and of themselves, without the inclusion of drugs. Rimon’s Theramers® are able to inhibit the activity of enzymes that destroy tissue, kill bacteria without harming human cells, and induce new blood vessels to grow. Regulated as medical devices, Theramers® enable quick-to-market treatments for a variety of medical conditions, including chronic wounds, periodontal disease, various eye disorders and osteoarthritis.

For further information, please visit www.rimontherapeutics.com or contact:

Michael H. May PhD, President

Rimon Therapeutics Ltd

416-977-6363

may@rimontherapeutics.com

Coverage of Rimon Therapeutics in the Toronto Star

Howard — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 13:48:00 -0400

Groundbreaking health research gets boost

Province funnels $42M toward 15 projects, from medical plastics to early cancer detection
Jun 24, 2009 04:30 AM

By Megan Ogilvie Health Reporter

Plastics that heal tissue. Toronto researchers are working to quickly turn science fiction into reality in the marketplace. And yesterday, the province moved to speed up the research by funnelling $42 million toward 15 research projects in the city. The funds are part of a $91 million province-wide investment from the Ontario Research Fund and the Ontario Institute for Cancer Research. Recipients include:

Project: Therapeutic biomaterials for regenerative medicine
Lead institution: University of Toronto
Funding: $6.4 million

Therapeutic polymers, or Theramers, are medical plastics that act like drugs. They can be used to heal tissue, treat disease, induce the production of new blood vessels and kill bacteria.

Developed at the University of Toronto in conjunction with Rimon Therapeutics, a U of T spin-off company, the unique materials do not use or deliver drugs. This feature, which no other lab around the world is pursuing, makes Theramers "revolutionary," said Michael May, president of Rimon Therapeutics.

And, he added, since Theramers are medical devices, products will likely hit the market faster – some perhaps within four years – and may have fewer side effects than new drugs.

Researchers are investigating Theramers to treat eye disorders, periodontal disease, osteoarthritis, inflammatory bowel disease, reconstructive surgery and cardiovascular disease.

For more see: http://www.thestar.com/living/article/655635

Coverage of Rimon Therapeutics in Exchange

Howard — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 14:11:00 -0400

Revolutionary wound dressing will kick-start healing

When you cut your skin, the wound starts to repair itself almost immediately. But for chronic wounds the body needs more than a bandage to allow this healing process to begin.

In North America, millions of chronic wounds require constant care amounting to over $20 billion annually.

Toronto-based Rimon Therapeutics Ltd. has developed a “smart” dressing made from advanced medical polymers (plastics) that supports the body's natural healing process.

Rimon's MI-Sorb is an easy-to-apply dressing that contains the company's revolutionary bioactive materials called Theramers.

“Theramers allows the body to heal without the side effects or costs of conventional drugs,” said Michael May, President of Rimon.

The MI-Sorb dressing works by removing the tissue-destroying enzymes in chronic wounds (like diabetic ulcers or bedsores), kick-starting the natural healing process.

Developed from research at the University of Toronto, Rimon received its initial funding from Ontario Centres of Excellence (OCE) when co-founder Michael May was named the 1997 recipient of OCE's Martin Walmsley Fellowship for Technological Entrepreneurship.

OCE also worked to connect Rimon with world-class researchers, assisted with staff hiring and allowed the company to explore new technologies for licensing.

The first clinical trials of the MI-Sorb dressing have been completed, and Rimon plans to bring its product to market soon through a partnership with an established wound-care company. Future therapeutic applications include treating heart disease, delaying knee replacement and preventing medical device related infections.

For more see: http://www.exchangemagazine.com/morningpost/2009/week26/Tuesday/062311.htm

Coverage of Rimon Therapeutics on BNN

Howard — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 14:13:00 -0400

The Close : June 19, 2009 : NEXT: Bio Tech Bandages that Heal [06-19-09 4:20PM]

Rimon Therapeutics has developed a "smart" dressing for chronic wounds that actually kick-starts the healing process. The bio-tech company is teaming up with a wound-care company and hopes to bring its product to market soon. Future applications include treating heart disease, delaying knee replacement and preventing medical infections. BNN speaks to Michael May, president, Rimon Therapeutics.

For the video clip see: http://watch.bnn.ca/clip185002#clip185002

Upcoming Event: CEO Entrepreneur Bootcamp Quarterly Series

Howard — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 15:56:00 -0400

Oct. 15, 2008 - CEO Entrepreneur Bootcamp Quarterly Series

Bringing Dollars to Innovative Technologies: Early Stage Financing, Development, and Marketing of your Product

Convincing a hard-nosed financier to invest in your revolutionary technology is not easy, no matter how innovative a business technology may be. Join us in learning how to build a solid case to illustrate your technology’s commercial value. Learn about what message you need to communicate and gain knowledge about what legal steps you should take?

The HTX-Cassels Brock CEO Bootcamp series opener, October 15 9 AM – 12 PM, will focus on hot topics for technology entrepreneurs. A top-notch panel of experts from across Ontario will provide insights on timely topics, including:

• Organizing your Company for Investment
• Angel vs. VC Investment – Making the Pitch
• Term Sheets, Deal Structure, and Shareholder Agreements
• Product Development
• Understanding stakeholders in the selling process
• Focusing on key segments of the market

HTX and Cassels Brock invite you to listen to experienced entrepreneurs, including Michael H. May, Co-Founder and CEO of Rimon Therapeutics Ltd, Randy Pilon, Founder and CEO of Virox Technologies Inc., and Jean T. Castonguay, Founder, President and CEO of ProDrive Systems Inc., as they share their insights on financing their companies’ revolutionary technologies. As well as gain insight into how successful companies like Quillsoft Ltd, Ross + Doell Design, and Aurillion Micro Systems Inc., have developed and marketed products to solve a market need. The event will be held on Wednesday, October 15 at MaRS Convergence Centre (CR-3).

Breakfast will be served at 9:00 a.m., with the panel discussions beginning precisely at 9:30 a.m. Pre-registration is highly recommended – early bird registrations will receive a 10% discount. Admission is $40 for “htx.ca-registered users”, $60 for “non-htx.ca-registered users”. Register by October 1, 2008 to receive your early bird discount.

Cancellation Policy: Only cancellations received in writing by fax/email two (2) working days prior to the event date will be refunded. Substitutions are permitted and notification prior to the event date is appreciated.

Location: MaRS Collaboration Centre, CR-3, 101 College Street, Toronto, ON

Event Dates: Wednesday, October 15, 2008

URL: https://www.htx.ca/HTX/DesktopModules/Events/EditEvents.aspx?ItemID=1244&tabId=8

Video interview of Dr. Michael H. May PhD, President, Director on The Health Technology Exchange (HTX) Website

Howard — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 10:43:00 -0400

The Health Technology Exchange (HTX), (HTX), is a not-for-profit organization whose mission is to support and accelerate the growth of a dynamic, prosperous MAT sector in the province of Ontario. HTX has a mandate to support research and development and commercialization of medical and assistive technologies emerging out of Ontario's public research institutions. Rimon Therapeutics has a long-standing relationship with HTX.

Click on the screen to view the Mike May interview at: https://www.htx.ca/htx/Index.aspx

Sunset Symposium Sponsored By Rimon Therapeutics at the World Union of Wound Healing Societies

Howard — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 20:26:00 -0400

MMP Inhibition Therapy: Understanding the Next Trend

in Active Wound Healing

WUWHS Sunset Symposium, Thursday June 5th, 2008

Faculty & Topics Moderator – Keith Harding

MB MRCGP FRCS

Cardiff University

The Role of MMPs in Wound Healing David Leaper

MD ChM FRCS FACS

Cardiff University

MMP Inhibiting Wound Therapy Gary Skarja

Ph.D.

Rimon Therapeutics

Ltd.

Clinical Investigation of MMP Inhibition Therapy Patricia Coutts

RN IIWCC

Panel Discussion All Speakers

Abstract

Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) are a family of at least 25 zinc-dependent enzymes that are collectively able to degrade all extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins. ECM degradation is a normal event in the physiological remodeling associated with growth and maintenance processes such as cell migration, angiogenesis, and tissue turnover. However, the elevated MMP activity in stalled chronic wounds contributes to uncontrolled destruction of connective tissue and increased inflammation. Therefore, targeted reduction of MMP action can reduce tissue degradation, kick-starting the healing process.

The clinical understanding of the promise of targeted MMP inactivation therapy for stalled chronic wounds has increased in recent years. The evolving clinical treatment of stalled wounds would clearly benefit from treatment options that are thoroughly researched and have demonstrated positive clinical trial results. We will describe a new MMP inhibiting treatment and demonstrate its unique technology. In addition, we will present clinical trial results of targeted reduction of MMP action that correlates to improved wound condition. This exciting new technology confirms the promise of a unique approach to active wound healing.

See attached for presentations.

Professor Michael Sefton one of five eminent Canadian scholars and scientists to receive 2008 Killam Prize

Howard — Mon, 05 May 2008 20:02:00 -0400

We are proud to acknowledge the awarding of the 2008 Killam Prize to Dr. Michael Sefton, Chief Scientific Officer, Director and Co-founder of Rimon Therapeutics, Inc. Rimon has greatly benefited from his visionary leadership, and his efforts have been critical to our vision of delivering breakthrough polymer-based therapeutics – improving patient outcomes with our proprietary Theramer™ technology.

An international leader in the area of biomedical engineering, biomaterials and regenerative medicine, University of Toronto Professor Michael Sefton was one of the first to recognize the importance of combining living cells with synthetic substances (polymers) to create artificial organs and tissues – a field now known as tissue engineering.

Dr. Sefton’s lab pioneered the use of biocompatible materials in artificial tissues. His seminal work led to the discovery of therapeutic biomaterials (materials with drug-like qualities) that exploit biological responses (e.g., blood vessel formation) to create innovative medical devices. His current groundbreaking research into the creation of modular tissue components seeks to create cardiac muscle to treat heart failure and pancreatic tissue to treat diabetes, among other possible applications.

His work directly led to the development of Rimon Therapeutics’ Theramer™ technology. Theramers^TM are novel medical polymers that have biological activity in and of themselves, without the use of drugs. Theramers™ are active, versatile, next generation materials that enable drug-like activity to come to the market over device timelines. Theramers™ are intended to be used as solids – scaffolds, beads and coatings – acting locally without systemic consequences.

The Killam Prizes are Canada’s most distinguished annual awards for outstanding career achievements in engineering, natural sciences, humanities, social sciences and health sciences. The 2008 award of $100,000 was announced by the Canada Council for the Arts, which administers the Killam program. Four other prominent Canadians were awarded the prize with Dr. Sefton

The Killam Prizes were inaugurated in 1981 and financed through funds donated to the Canada Council by Mrs. Dorothy J. Killam in memory of her husband, Izaak Walton Killam. The prizes were created to honour eminent Canadian scholars and scientists actively engaged in research, whether in industry, government agencies or universities. The Killam Trusts, which fund scholarships and research at four Canadian universities, a research institute and the Canada Council, are valued at approximately $400 million.

The Canada Council will present the Killam Prizes at a dinner and ceremony on Monday, June 16 in Vancouver.

Here is a copy of the full story, as it appears on the Canada Council for the Arts Web site at: http://www.canadacouncil.ca/news/releases/2008/nf128539538656519080.htm

Part two of a two part interview with Dr. Michael H. May PhD, President, Director, Rimon Therapeutics at BioFinance 2007

Howard — Sun, 06 May 2007 11:45:00 -0400

Howard: In the presentation you talked about the application pipeline for Theramers™ in stents, knee joints and eyes. Why this emphasis?

Mike: We have been investigating these opportunities for a few years. On the strength of the data we have on the wound and technology side, we have decided to pursue them. We have been working on the coronary stent application for a couple of years and it has some of the validation done in collaboration with a partner in the sector. There has been much exciting activity in the background and we want to move to the clinic with new financing. We now have proof of concept data that we are taking out to potential partners. There is validation from clinical trials. We now have clinical validation of a very novel technology concept. As a management team, we feel highly confident about the technology.

Howard: You mentioned that the networking you do at these events is as important as the formal presentation. Can you explain?

Mike: Networking is critical and these events are always valuable. The presentation is one small part of what is happening here. The breadth and depth of our networking has been advanced recently over the years as we have had more to talk about and more successes to declare. It is easier to network. So the networking has been built not only on previous relationships established over the last five years, we now have much more exciting things too say.

Howard: At the VC presentation there was talk of ‘alignment’ of a company, meaning a balanced score card approach where you look at finance, scientific development, marketing, personnel and strategy. Can you speak to ‘alignment’ at Rimon.

Mike: Alignment is most certainly important. It is a challenge with limited financial resources and people to always be aligned. We have been focusing on a lead product that can validate a technology and to then advance the pipeline products. Rimon has been much aligned around this clinical trial and enhancing that product so that it can be scaled up and taken to market as quickly as possible with a partner. Alignment is equally required for relationship management with partners. Every potential partner we meet, we need everyone at Rimon to contribute to what that story will be when we meet them – including data, brainstorming on product integration, and to effectively communicate our story. We all have to be on the same page.

Howard: You mentioned that you have been in negotiations with a major wound care company. What have you learned from those negotiations?

Mike: You learn a lot when you broaden your interactions. Certainly engaging a partner brings a whole host of issues to the table. We understand better now some of the issues we have not had to deal with: issues such as manufacturing and scale-up, reimbursement, and regulatory approval. Partners have a lot of experience that we are benefiting from in all of these areas and more.From a practical sense, what we have also learned is that the pace of these discussions can be very slow. You must be very patient and very positive. Find your champions, and create a sense of urgency and opportunity.

Howard: You mentioned the ‘The Theramer Patent House’ – how did that idea come about and what are you going to do with it?

Mike: It came about in a strategic planning session last year. We were trying to define the long-term objectives of the company. Of course IP is important to any new, early stage company. Rimon deals at the base level with biomaterials - new medical materials. As we are successful, other activities that are going on out there in the academic environment, and other companies around materials, perhaps will start to look and feel like Theramers™. So it is important for us to be aggressive about going out and finding those technologies. Perhaps acquiring them or through other vehicles to make certain that we remain the Theramer™ company and the Global Theramer™ Patent House.

Howard: At the VC presentation they also spoke about acquisitions and role-up strategies. Could this be your long-term strategy?

Mike: I think that would be the wise thing to do if our first product generates good revenue for us. We can enhance our burn significantly and build our team. It would be a valid way to build the company. In the past year we signed an agreement with one for a certain period of time. They basically wanted to take us off the table for the other wound care companies.

Part one of a two part interview with Dr. Michael H. May PhD, President, Director, Rimon Therapeutics at BioFinance 2007

Howard — Mon, 30 Apr 2007 11:40:00 -0400

BioFinance 2007 is the Canadian Life Science industry's leading investor conference. Each year the meeting brings together key industry players to consider investment opportunities and issues affecting companies in biotechnology, medical devices, diagnostics and research tools.

Participants include senior life science executives, institutional and venture capital investors, industry analysts, corporate finance executives and experts from the scientific and medical communities in Canada, the United States, Europe and Asia. BioFinance 2007 was held on April 24 - 26, 2007 at the Toronto Marriott Eaton Centre. Rimon Therapeutics was one of 100 life sciences companies from Canada, United States and Europe that presented at BioFinance 2007. Howard Oliver spoke to Dr. Michael H. May PhD, President, Director, Rimon Therapeutics after his presentation at the event.

Howard: Each participating company has the opportunity to present their story for half-an- hour. What was the emphasis of your presentation this year?

Mike: My intent was to communicate the progress we have made, particularly with the clinical trial of MI-Sorb™ Dressing for chronic wounds. We had significant scientific progress to report from the clinical trial. We also discussed how that data has impacted our partnership discussions and advancement of pipeline products as well.

Howard: Who came to your presentation?

Mike: We had a full room. I was pleased with the turnout. There were some representatives of wound care companies. There were also the regular people who come to keep track of what we are doing and get an update on our progress. It was gratifying to have our progress acknowledged.

Howard: After BioFinance, what events are you going to be participating in?

Mike: Three or four of the Rimon team are going to a combined conference of the Symposium of Advanced Wound Care and the Annual Wound Care Society Meeting in Tampa, Florida. We have two oral presentations, one on the SAWC side and the other on the wound healing side. There are few oral presentations given at the Symposium. It is a credit to our process and the novelty of our products that we were invited to present. It is an unusual opportunity to present our clinical detail in some detail, much more than I presented at my presentation today at BioFinance. We will delve into the technical aspects of the product and its design.

Interview with Gary Skarja, PhD., Director, R&D

Howard — Thu, 29 Mar 2007 21:51:00 -0400

1. Can you explain your current role at Rimon?

Gary is the Director of R&D at Rimon. He is responsible for all R&D functions at Rimon, supervising laboratory activities and managing the two scientists that work with him. His work encompasses new product development, prototype development, clinical trials, and Intellectual Property (IP) design, application and management. For the Intellectual Property (IP) work to gain legal protection for Rimon’s materials, he interacts with the company’s IP lawyers to generate new submissions, be they provisional or formal applications. He also responds to examiners.

2. How many people are in your department? As a group, what is unique about them?

There are two fulltime biomaterial scientists working in the Lab - Allison Brown and Caroline Hamer. Another person, Rebecca Ho, splits her time between the lab and clinical/regulatory work. This team is highly trained, flexible, and very motivated. They are quick to rise to new challenges and accept extra responsibilities.

3. Rimon is commercializing Theramers™ - therapeutic polymers. Can you

speak to the promise of the technology?

The interesting thing is that Theramers™ are medical polymers or plastics that have a therapeutic activity. Typically, medical polymers have been used for their physical or mechanical properties. Now they can be exploited to additionally possess a drug-like activity to promote a healing response. Theramers™ allow patients to avoid the use of soluble drugs that can cause side-effects when they are administered systemically and distributed throughout the body. Additionally, the materials are less costly to produce compared to pharmaceutical therapeutics. Rimon's key products benefit from the shorter timelines, and therefore reduced developmental costs, compared to those of pharmaceutical products.

5. Where do new ideas come from and how are they developed?

Ideas come from a variety of places: scanning the literature, attending conferences, interacting with colleagues within Rimon and the broader community. They come upon biological themes from the literature and ask themselves how they can affect these processes.

Mike May and Gary work closely together to brainstorm and screen ideas – generating new ideas and sifting them down to the ones they want to pursue given the time lines and resources they have available.

There are two levels to the product development process at Rimon. One, taking the materials they do have and expanding them into additional applications. With existing Theramers™, they continually scan the literature to see where there can be effective applications to additional disease states or disorders. Simply put, they have the materials and look for ways to exploit them. Subsequently, they do proof of concept testing and proceed ultimately to clinical development.

The other level is a ground-up material design, almost like a jet engine development-type program. They scan for opportunities for materials for applications, processes that they would like to impact, answering the question: “How would you make a material that would do that?”

6. Can you describe the network of collaborators you have?

They have an extensive network in Toronto. Their lab is at the University of Toronto. One of their co-founders is Dr. Michael Sefton, a professor at The University of Toronto. They set up collaborative projects with his doctoral and post-doctoral students. They do testing and evaluation of new materials at the University. They have facilities there to test what they make and how they make it. They also collaborate with several physicians in the downtown hospitals – St Michael’s, Mount Sinai and Sunnybrook. They do research with large medical device companies.

Their network starts at home in Toronto and stretches out across the continent and to Europe as well.

7. How are MMPs important in wound care and applications?

Generally speaking, with non-healing and persistent wounds, it has been recognized that there are high concentration of MMPs. The premise they work with is that MMPs are enzymes that chop up connective tissue in the skin faster than it can be regenerated by the natural healing process. The result is a stalled state that cannot progress towards healing. By inhibiting these MMPs locally in the wound environment, you reduce tissue degradation. This allows the normal healing response to take hold, leading to new tissue generation and ultimately to closure of the wound. Their preliminary clinical data is showing the pro-healing effects of MMP inhibition.

8. How did you come to work for Rimon?

Gary met Dr. Mike May as a graduate student when he was working for their other co-founder Dr. Michael Sefton. Mike had graduated two years before Gary did and was establishing the company at that time. The two spoke about the company informally over a period of a year or two. When Gary was finishing his training, Mike asked if he would like to work for the company. Gary was actually the first employee he hired.

9. How did you come to be interested in engineering?

Gary had an early aptitude and interest in math and science and liked the idea of applying that knowledge practically. His father, who was an engineer, inspired him to follow that inclination. .

10. I understand you worked under Dr. Woodhouse. Is that correct?

He did his PhD in Chemical Engineering with Dr. Woodhouse. He was also her first graduate student. Because he was her first student, there was a lot of freedom which was useful training for his role here at Rimon. She was starting up a brand new lab, and was open to innovative and creative ideas in terms of his research, how he wanted to define his project in a broad sense and in a more detailed sense. She was a valuable source of training.

While working with Dr. Woodhouse, he did polymer development - polymer chemistry, polymer synthesis, and polymer characterization. He had the opportunity to develop a new family of degradable polyurethanes which were patented.

11. What are the exciting things that are going to go on with Rimon over the next six months?

The biggest thing is getting the clinical trial finished and telling the world about the positive results obtained in the clinic. The next steps will of course involve getting the material out into the market place. Seeing the final product on the market helping patients will be the most exciting thing.

Note Gary Skarja's presentation at BioFinance 2006 below.

Part three of a three part interview with David B. Shindler, PhD, Executive Director, BioDiscovery Toronto, Inc. (www.biodiscoverytoronto.ca) for Rimon Therapeutics

Howard — Fri, 23 Mar 2007 11:24:00 -0400

It seems that your role is to be the facilitator and champion.

Yes. We have built a powerful network – our members are involved in managing Intellectual Property arising from university and hospital research. They include Hospital for Sick Children, University Health Network, Mount Sinai Hospital, Sunnybrook Hospital, Toronto Rehab, St Michael’s Hospital, Centre for addiction and Mental Health and Ryerson University. This network will be expanded in 2007 with the addition of 2 or 3 new members.

We aim to contribute what is needed for success. We can tailor the recipe to selectively contribute financial resources, expertise, management techniques, and skills along the way, where and when it is needed. Being the facilitator and champion, and having the knowledge to do work in the biomedical field, we have to make sure we can bring the critical resources to overcome the main challenges of technology transfer and commercialization.

There are close ties between BioDiscovery Toronto and Rimon Therapeutics. Can you speak about the relationship?

Rimon President Michael May has been on the board of directors almost since BioDiscovery started. He is also a member of the Executive Committee. He represents a voice of experience from industry, providing guidance on how we should deploy our own resources. As you know, the challenge is really to make your time, your money, and your people’s efforts all count. Michael is a great leader in this respect, and has been immensely helpful to BioDiscovery in its formative stages. He is on the front line with Rimon Therapeutics, a company with very, very promising wound-healing technology and a unique way of getting these technologies to market. I know his scientific, managerial, and entrepreneurial methods will stand the test of time.

Rimon Therapeutics, as you alluded to, is commercializing Theramers™, which are therapeutic polymers. Can you speak to the promise of that technology, the team and company overall?

Rimon’s products are based on a very solid knowledge of the cascade of biochemical and physical events that occur in a chronic wound site. Rimon’s Theramers™ can accelerate the process of wound healing, reduce infection, and at the same time reduce one’s stay in the hospital for serious injury. Also the Theramer™ approach is being shown to be effective for chronic wounds that otherwise would fester. This is just tremendous. Wounds take a lot of effort for hospital staff to prevent infection, to change dressings for patients etc. Any improvement is good for the patient and good for the system overall. Rimon’s Theramers™ have great potential.

Michael May is supported by the scientific leadership of Dr. Michael Sefton and other highly talented people. Theramers™ are unique and differentiated in the marketplace.

It’s a new approach for the old problem of healing chronic wounds – an area where innovation is badly needed.

How do you see BioDiscovery Toronto and Rimon collaborating in the future?

We would like to see them work with other investigators, or other companies in Toronto or world wide. We can assist Rimon to make connections with other investigators that have related technology to create offshoot products - to pursue other ways of using Rimon’s base of commercial intellectual property and knowledge. So this has two dimensions: We can hopefully find ways to help Rimon- and Rimon through its leadership - can find ways to help us.

These kinds of relationships are long-lasting. They continue over long periods of time because the core value proposition is fundamental: “How can we help each other to achieve health-related objectives in our society?”

Part two of a three part interview with David B. Shindler, PhD, Executive Director, BioDiscovery Toronto, Inc. (www.biodiscoverytoronto.ca) for Rimon Therapeutics

Howard — Thu, 08 Mar 2007 11:22:00 -0500

What are your touch points with MaRS as an organization?

Many. BioDiscovery Toronto now has its main operations office in the new MaRS facility on College Street. – The MaRS facility is Toronto’s first centre for convergent sciences - the first meeting place, if you will - for scientists and business leaders who are going to be responsible in large measure for Canada’s progress in the knowledge economy. Previously, Toronto institutions had their own meeting places but now we have this terrific centre, named the MARS Discovery District which is an ultra-modern world class facility dedicated to advanced research, business development and company collaborations.

MaRS and BioDiscovery Toronto share core values and are cooperating on several levels. MaRS, for instance is represented on BioDiscovery’s Board of Directors. BioDiscovery serves on MaRS committees and project teams. All of us are working closely together along with the Federal, Provincial, Regional and Municipal governments to try to overcome gaps in the environment for technology transfer for commercialization. Both MaRS and BioDiscovery have close links with the Ontario Ministry of Research and Commercialization – The Hon. Dalton McGuinty, Premier of Ontario leads this Ministry.

MaRS and BioDiscovery Toronto believe that bringing together the right expertise, leaders, and teams will produce tremendous results. This is of course something that Rimon Therapeutics understands very, very well. Under the leadership of CEO, Dr. Michael May, Rimon has demonstrated that teamwork is necessary to bring new products to the marketplace. Leadership and teamwork must come together at the correct right time with the correct resources to establish a new idea or a new product.

What are you most passionate about?

I’m most excited about working with industry in new ways. What we are trying to do is to fill some of the gaps. For instance it is very difficult right now in Canada for the biotechnology sector to find early-stage financing for new discoveries coming out of universities and hospital research institutes.

Industry is interested in these new discoveries but doesn’t want to invest before discoveries are proven: what we call “proof of principle.” In therapeutics that means there should be some evidence of critical use - that the innovation has been tested in clinical trials or convincing data is available relating to both safety and efficacy. Proof is required to show the science really can work and it is practical. This means that if you are a university researcher with a development project, you really have to get further down the commercial development pathway.

How are you developing new sources of funding?

BioDiscovery and MaRS are working to fill that translational proof-of-principle gap by raising resources and delivering funding for critical development steps. The MRI is providing critical funding under its Ontario Research Commercialization and Investment Accelerator programs. In filling this obvious gap, we are doing our best to make sure the expertise and financial resources are available to our investigators, technology offices, and broadly throughout the innovation system.

BioDiscovery also achieved significant federal funding through the Intellectual Property Mobilization Program of the NSERC and CIHR for support of technology-transfer. Our intent also is to work with MaRS, OCE (Ontario Centre of Excellence), HTX (Healthcare Data Exchange) and IRAP (NRC Industrial Research Assistance Program) - to work cooperatively so we can obtain the resources necessary to bridge the commercialization gap. We are also seeking private support from industry partners and from appropriately targeted venture capital funds.

Part one of a three part interview with David B. Shindler, PhD, Executive Director, BioDiscovery Toronto, Inc. (www.biodiscoverytoronto.ca) for Rimon Therapeutics

Howard — Thu, 01 Mar 2007 11:03:00 -0500

David, what is your role at BioDiscovery Toronto?

BioDiscovery Toronto comprises nine of Toronto's leading research universities and hospital research institutes. I was hired one year ago to manage BioDiscovery and deliver on its mandate to enhance technology transfer and commercialization based on Toronto's world-class biomedical research.

Describe your career journey that brought you to BioDiscovery Toronto?

I became involved with biotechnology as it was first emerging in Canada in the early 1980s.  My expertise is in “early-stage” deals and arrangements that take technology into commercial development and application. That’s really where my passion is. I have always stayed close to innovation and early-stage development, for technologies that have a chance of making an economic and industrial impact.

In the early 1980s, I was responsible for Canada's National Biotechnology Strategy and building research and corporate capacity while employed with Industry Canada. Subsequently, I served as Counsellor, Science and Technology at the Canadian High Commission in London, England. After that international experience, during the 1990s I took the role of Senior Executive and Commercial Director of the Canadian Genetic Diseases Network; headquartered at the University of British Columbia, part of Canada’s Networks of Centres of Excellence system. By the turn of the century I was in the private sector, and became the founding President and CEO of Milestone Medica Corporation, a seed venture investment and management company, working with Canada's top biomedical research centres.

I’m intrigued with your experience in London, England.

Part of my job in London was to understand what policies and organizations were emerging in the UK, and more broadly in Europe, that were central to adoption of the emerging ‘strategic’ technologies including Bio, Materials and ICT. One role I particularly enjoyed was serving as a Governor on the Board of Imperial College – the committee equivalent to the Board of Directors. Imperial had a very distinguished and experienced Governing Board with representatives from major UK and world-wide industries such as Roll-Royce. Imperial also had a very fine technology transfer organization which has recently evolved into a publicly listed company. The universities in England, in general, have done a very good job of trying to move discoveries to the commercial plain. They are ahead of Canada in that regard, although Canada’s younger organizations are now rapidly catching up. I was able to get a pretty good view of policy development as well. One major difference between Canada and European countries is the emergence of the EEC as a major driver of policy and programs. Major EEC resources have been used to drive innovation policies and programs in many countries such as Ireland and England. In Canada, we do not have this kind of superstructure and the associated financial clout.

Tell us about the vision, history, and mission of BioDiscovery Toronto.

Around 2003-2004 the senior management of our major hospital research institutes decided that they had to work more closely. That was the beginning of BioDiscovery and MaRS. In fact, the founders of BioDiscovery Toronto were instrumental, along with others in the community, in founding the original MaRS incubator. BioDiscovery Toronto continues to this day with the core philosophy to bring expertise and management together and raise new resources to overcome the challenges of technology transfer, technology development, and commercialization, and to work with ‘Hi-tech’ companies.

BioDiscovery Toronto's vision is to maximize the commercialization of research by linking research, industry and capital and provide a central interface between the Toronto research community and industry, and facilitate cross-institutional activity. After serving my first full year as Executive Director, I am excited as ever about the potential of Toronto’s biomedical research enterprise that constitutes a top ranked scientific cluster - comparable to other top clusters in the US and Europe. It is not widely known, for instance, that the biomedical science productivity and quality of University of Toronto and affiliated research hospitals is ranked consistently among the top 3 North American institutions and is actually number 1 in terms of public universities.

Interview with Dr. Kimberly Woodhouse

Kerry — Wed, 14 Feb 2007 15:41:00 -0500

Dr. Kimberly Woodhouse is a professor at both the Department of Chemical Engineering and Applied Chemistry and the Institute of Biomaterials and Biomedical Engineering. As well, she is the Associate Director of the Advanced Regenerative Tissue Engineering Centre (artec), of which Rimon Therapeutics is a founding partner of. The focus of artec is the “development of novel concepts in the emerging fields of regenerative medicine and tissue engineering,” in particular on applications for wound healing and soft tissue reconstruction. artec is one of the ways that Rimon advances its scientific program and develops its Theramer^TM-based products. For more information on artec and its participants, please see its website at www.artecresearch.ca. Dr. Woodhouse has expertise in wound healing and polyurethane development and is an expert in the “design of novel materials” developed from recombinant proteins, and synthetics.

To listen to a recent interview with Dr. Woodhouse, click on the attachment below.

Dr. Michael H. May PhD, President, Director, Rimon Therapeutics presents at investment forum series in January as part of Canada's Top 10 Life Science Companies national awards competition.

Howard — Thu, 01 Feb 2007 10:57:00 -0500

Canada's Top 10 Life Science Companies Competition-a program of the Ottawa Life Sciences Council-is an annual national competition sponsored by Borden Ladner Gervais LLP and htx.ca - The Health Technology Exchange. The awards are presented to growth-oriented companies and are chosen by an independent expert panel of Canadian and U.S. venture capitalists. As one of Canada's Top 10, Rimon-along with other competition winners and alumni-will participated in an investment forum series that took place in early 2007 in New York, Boston.

Here are Mike’s musings about the events, and the impact of the success of the clinical trial is making on Rimon’s messaging:

“The Canadian consulates in Boston and New York City hosted the top ten companies that received the award thought the Ottawa Life sciences Council. At both events we each made a formal presentation and had opportunities to meet investment bankers, intuitional VCs, service providers, angel investors, and VCs. The Boston event had 50 people and was tied to a Licensing Executive Society meeting. The New York event was well attended with 150 in attendance. In New York there was a panel and a great informal networking event over cocktails.

We got strong feedback from both presentations. Rimon’s message is simple; the value proposition is clearly laid out. We primarily dwell on the opportunity in these presentations and the science second. We focus on what makes us unique. This approach works well. The Theramer™ concept is immediately appreciated as different. It is a bit “off the wall” – a polymer, a plastic that in drug like. One way to think of a Theramer™ is as a 3-dimensioanal drug. It is one of those different ideas that require validation and demonstration for people to believe. We are getting to that with our clinical data that have produced positive results. We have shown with statistical significance that we can reduce enzyme levels in chronic wounds compared to base line and one of the world’s most successful brands with good co-relation between that inhibition and improved wound bed quality (a precursor to wound healing). We are getting much more positive information than we ever expected from this trial. The clinical trial we have collected validated our strategy of picking an application that would allow us to get into clinical studies fast. The data we have collected from human wounds just could not be replicated even with five times as many animal experiments. So, we plan to continue finding new applications for Theramers™ that validate the technology and get us to clinical trials and on the market as quickly as possible. The Theramer™ concept is a novel idea with great opportunities.”

Click for coverage in Canadian Business.

Press Release

Howard — Mon, 27 Nov 2006 10:33:00 -0500

OLSC: Rimon Therapeutics Named One of Canada's Top 10 Life Science Companies

TORONTO, ONTARIO--(CCNMatthews - Nov. 27, 2006) – Rimon Therapeutics is pleased to announce it has won industry recognition from another national awards competition. The Toronto-based biotechnology firm was named one of Canada's Top 10 Life Science Companies at a ceremony in Ottawa on November 20, 2006.

"We appreciate being recognized as one of Canada's Top 10 Life Science Companies," said Michael May, President of Rimon. "It comes at a promising time for our company with the clinical validation of our novel therapeutic polymer (Theramer^TM) platform technology and the near-term product licensing opportunities generated with some of the world's largest medical device companies. This award recognizes Rimon's ability to advance a robust pipeline of products to commercialization."

Canada's Top 10 Life Science Companies Competition-a program of the Ottawa Life Sciences Council-is an annual national competition sponsored by Borden Ladner Gervais LLP and htx.ca - The Health Technology Exchange. The awards are presented to growth-oriented companies and are chosen by an independent expert panel of Canadian and U.S. venture capitalists.

The award comes only a few months after Rimon was recognized at another high-profile Canadian biotechnology event: Rimon was named "Most Promising Early Stage Company" at CANMEDBIO 2006's National Presidents' Awards, on June 19, 2006.

As one of Canada's Top 10, Rimon-along with other competition winners and alumni-will participate in an investment forum series taking place in early 2007 in New York, Boston, San Francisco and San Diego.

About Rimon Therapeutics

Rimon Therapeutics Ltd. is the Theramer^TM Company. Theramers^TM (therapeutic polymers) are polymers that have drug-like activity, but can be marketed and regulated as devices. Rimon's Theramers^TM induce the development of new blood vessels, prevent the destruction of tissue, and kill bacteria without harming human cells. The company is engaging some of the world's largest medical device companies about using these unique polymers to heal chronic wounds (e.g., bedsores and diabetic ulcers), treat heart disease, delay knee replacement, and prevent medical device-related infections. Preliminary results from the Company's first, human clinical trial of its MI-Sorb^TM Dressing for chronic wounds are very promising and represent a key milestone in the validation of Rimon's unique, value proposition-drug-like margins and device timelines, together with the versatility of polymer chemistry.

Rimon Therapeutics Ltd.
Dr. Michael May, PhD
President
416-977-2003
416-977-6383 (FAX)
may@rimontherapeutics.com

or

Media Contact:
What If What Next
Howard Oliver
416-638-8582
holiver@whatifwhatnext.com

Posting on BIONORTH 2006

Howard — Mon, 20 Nov 2006 11:23:00 -0500

Rimon Therapeutics Ltd. (Toronto, ON)

www.rimontherapeutics.com

Rimon Therapeutics Ltd. is the Theramer™ Company. Theramers™ (therapeutic polymers) are polymers that have drug-like activity, but can be marketed and regulated as devices. Rimon’s Theramers™ induce the development of new blood vessels, prevent the destruction of tissue, and kill bacteria without harming human cells. The company is engaging some of the world’s largest medical device companies about using these unique polymers to heal chronic wounds (e.g., bedsores and diabetic ulcers), treat heart disease, delay knee replacement, and prevent medical device-related infections. Preliminary results from the Company’s first, human clinical trial of its MI-Sorb™ Dressing for chronic wounds are very promising and represent a key milestone in the validation of Rimon’s unique, value proposition – drug-like margins and device timelines, together with the versatility of polymer chemistry.

"We are delighted that such an esteemed jury has recognized the hard work, achievements and future potential of Rimon Therapeutics. The clinical validation this year of our novel therapeutic polymer (Theramer) platform technology, the near-term product licensing opportunities generated with some of the world's largest medical device companies, and now recognition as one of Canada's leading Life Science companies, demonstrates Rimon's ability to advance a robust pipeline of products to commercialization", says Michael H. May, President of Rimon Therapeutics Ltd.

See: http://www.bionorth.ca/Top10/2006_2007_Finalists.html

Press Release

Howard — Wed, 01 Nov 2006 10:52:00 -0500

OLSC: Canada's Top 10 Life Science Companies Named for 2006/2007

OTTAWA, ONTARIO--(CCNMatthews - Nov. 1, 2006) - The Ottawa Life Sciences Council (OLSC) is pleased to announce this year's finalists in the Canada's Top 10 Life Science Companies Competition (Canada's Top 10). The 2006/2007 finalists will present their company to an audience of venture capitalists, potential strategic alliance partners and conference delegates at BioNorth 2006-one of North America's premier life science conferences.

Once again, this year's finalists and alumni will participate in exclusive investment forums in New York and Boston in January 2007. The companies will also have the opportunity to participate in an exclusive one-day professional development workshop to perfect their pitches for a US investor audience. Since its inception, Canada's Top 10 alumni have raised over $485 Million in venture capital financing since their selection.

"Canada's Top 10 finalists represented some of the best early-stage life science opportunities anywhere" said Ken lawless, President & CEO of the Ottawa Life Sciences Council. "The competition provides an exceptional vehicle to promote Canadian companies to the North American investment community"

Canada's Top 10 finalists are selected from a pool of entrants by an independent international jury of life science venture capitalists. Entrant companies are classified as either early stage (seeking first and second round financing) or emerging/late stage (seeking mezzanine or later stage financing) opportunities. Based on their expert knowledge of investment in the life sciences sector, the jury selects the companies that offer the best investment and partnership prospects.

"This competition is a unique snapshot of emerging life science companies in Canada," states Maha Katabi, Vice-President, Life Sciences, Ventures West and Canada's Top 10 jury member. "It showcases great technologies and entrepreneurs that are ready for prime-time investing."

2006/2007 Finalists included Rimon Therapeutics of Toronto, Ontario
Award program information, company descriptions and quotes can be found at www.bionorth.ca/Top10.

About the OLSC

The Ottawa Life Sciences Council (OLSC) is a not-for-profit, member-supported, development corporation for the life sciences sector in the Ottawa and Eastern Ontario region. Our mandate, to catalyze the growth of the local life sciences community, is achieved through: networking activities, consortia building, support for technology commercialization, identification of market opportunities, information resources, sector advocacy and sector specific marketing initiatives at all levels of opportunity (local, regional, provincial, national and global). For more information about the Ottawa Life Sciences Council visit www.olsc.ca or call (613) 828-6274 x229.

An Interview with Dr. Gary Sibbald

Kerry — Tue, 05 Sep 2006 14:58:00 -0400

Dr. Gary Sibbald is the world-renowned dermatologist who is leading Rimon’s initial clinical trial for its MI-Sorb™ dressing, validating its unique Theramer™ technology. Dr. Sibbald is a co-founder of the Canadian Association of Wound Care (CAWC) and is on the editorial or advisory board of several wound care journals. Lecturing extensively, he is also a prolific author and an educator, sponsoring regular clinics to promote the interdisciplinary approach to wound healing.

Recently, I was given the opportunity to speak with Dr. Sibbald about wound care and the MI-Sorb™ clinical trial. The interview is available to download through the link provided below.

An Interview with Dr. Michael Sefton

Kerry — Sat, 26 Aug 2006 10:28:00 -0400

Dr. Michael Sefton is one of the pioneers of Tissue Engineering and is a co-founder of Rimon Therapeutics. A Professor of Chemical Engineering and former Director of the Institute of Biomaterials and Biomedical Engineering at the University of Toronto, Dr. Sefton is a leader at the University and in the wider scientific community. A few years ago he was awarded the prestigious title of University Professor by the University of Toronto and last year he was named a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada.

Dr. Sefton sits on the editorial boards of several prominent journals and has been on the grant selection committees for NSERC, MRC (now CIHR) and the US NIH. Dr. Sefton is the author of over 140 peer reviewed journal articles and is the recipient of many awards. For a complete bio see: http://www.rimontherapeutics.com

We had an opportunity to speak with Micheal Sefton at the Rimon Therapeutics’s office in late May about his career, Rimon Therapeutics, and the Biomaterials Sector in Canada. Here is what we discussed:

Changing Role of the FDA

Kerry — Fri, 25 Aug 2006 09:36:00 -0400

Earlier this year, acting FDA Commissioner Andrew von Eschenbach unveiled the Medical Device Initiative Innovation. This proposed plan is designed to overhaul the process of examination and, perhaps more significantly, to adjust the role of the FDA.

As a medical device company, Rimon is encouraged by the awareness of the FDA that, as technology grows and the quantity of device-based treatments increases, adjustments are required within the regulating body to facilitate the movement from research to standard of practice.

Our primary product, the MI-Sorb™ dressing, is a Class I Device and is now in its first clinical trial. The prospect of assistance from the FDA to navigate through the paperwork, to improve communication, and to streamline the process is welcomed. There is the awareness that such alterations do not manifest themselves overnight. The proposed changes will be a long time in coming, with some believing that they might not come at all.

Criticism has come, not necessarily for the measures proposed, but for the likelihood of their implementation. As MD&DI has noted, as long as von Eschenbach is an "acting" director, it is unlikely that the working body of the FDA will embrace the changes and begin restructuring itself.

Implementation of the proposed changes or not, Rimon's key product will continue to benefit from the shorter timelines, and therefore, reduced developmental costs, compared to those of pharmaceutical products.

Article in MD&DI: Firm Earns Honor for Developing Bioactive Polymers

Howard — Mon, 21 Aug 2006 18:46:00 -0400

To be Published in MDDI September 2006

Industry News

Firm Earns Honor for Developing Bioactive Polymers

By: Erik Swain

A firm ...

Patent Protection in Biotechnology: Issues and Strategies for Effective Protection

Kerry — Sat, 19 Aug 2006 09:25:00 -0400

This two-day, interactive, instructor-led workshop was attended by Rimon’s Senior Scientist Allison Brown from April 27-28^th, 2006 at the Toronto offices of Borden Ladner Gervais LLP (BLG). The course was hosted by the Biotechnology Human Resource Council (BHRC), Canada’s leading source for human resource information and biotechnology skills development. Facilitated by Patent Agents from BLG, the workshop provided attendees with an overview and “how-to” framework for patent protection in Canada and abroad. For Allison, the course provided a valuable foundation for future involvement in Rimon’s IP strategies.

Five valuable things that she took away from the course were:

1. The importance of developing a strong Intellectual Property Strategy within an innovative, start-up company such as Rimon;

2. An understanding of the criteria that determines what can be patented in the context of the Biotechnology/Life Sciences Industry;

3. A thorough understanding of the patent granting life cycle and the role of the patent agent or attorney during the various stages of the patenting process;

4. Effective techniques and available resources for performing prior-art searches;

5. Knowledge of the components, functions, and rules of the Patent Application. This included hands-on experience writing descriptions and claims for sample inventions.

Changes to the FDA

Kerry — Thu, 17 Aug 2006 16:49:00 -0400

“Over the next decade, medical technology innovations will fundamentally transform health care and delivery systems, providing new solutions with medical devices that will challenge existing paradigms and revolutionize the way treatments are administered.”

The FDA’s announcement in May of this year outlined its intentions to implement ground-breaking alterations in the way the FDA operates and to its place in the development of new treatments. In addition, as demonstrated in the quote above from its official web site, the FDA acknowledges that medical treatment is changing and development of medical devices is leading the way into a new era.

Rimon is part of what the FDA refers to as the “unfolding pattern of ‘smart’ technologies that integrate engineering and biological approaches” that enable “precise clinical interventions”. In the treatment of wound care, Rimon’s primary product, the MI-Sorb™dressing (now in clinical trials), is on the front line of this development. Rather than acting as a passive dressing, providing protection and absorption of exudates, the MI-Sorb™ dressing actively works to counter the damaging effect of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) produced by the body, and by doing so, allows for healing to occur.

As a Class I device, MI-Sorb™ operates with drug-like margins, but benefits from the shorter device timelines. The announcement by the FDA to implement changes intended to facilitates the movement of “smart” devices from research to market could further reduce the timeline for MI-Sorb™ to be introduced to patient care and the costs involved in doing so.

A New Paradigm – Polymers that Heal

Howard — Mon, 10 Jul 2006 18:35:00 -0400

“Rimon Therapeutics has been built on the strength of its partnerships…the grants, programs and people at the Ontario Centres of ...

WHS Conference 2006: Application of a Biomaterial Improves Wound Healing in Diabetic Mice

Kerry — Thu, 22 Jun 2006 08:15:00 -0400

As part of the Wound Healing Society's 16th Annual meeting in Scottsdale, Arizona in May of this year, Daniel Martin gave a presentation on the application of biomatierals and its effect on healing in diabectic wounds in mice.

Other presentations were given by Rimon staff on our three key technologies: MI Theramer™, AM Theramer™, and Angiobeads™.

To veiw Daniel's presentation, click the attachment below.

National Presidents' Award as "Promising Early Stage Company"

Kerry — Mon, 19 Jun 2006 11:32:00 -0400
June 19, 2006 – Toronto – CANMEDBIO, a program for helping bring medical device and biotechnology innovators to market, has selected Rimon Therapeutics of Toronto as winner in the “Promising Early Stage Company Recognition” category of its National Presidents’ Awards. The award will be presented at a special dinner at the CANMEDBIO 2006 conference, June 19, 2006 at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre. His Excellency David H. Wilkins, United States Ambassador to Canada, will deliver a keynote address at the dinner.

For the complete article, please visit the Ontario Centres of Excellence web site at:

http://www.oce-ontario.org/pages/media/mediareleases/Rimon_CANMEDBIO_june2006.pdf

What is in a Name?

Kerry — Fri, 09 Jun 2006 12:27:00 -0400

Everyone asks... "What is the origin of the name Rimon?"

The son of co-founder Michael Sefton, came up with the name for our company.

When Michael was describing to his family the stunning and unexpected network of blood vessels that were growing around plastic beads implanted into lab rats, his son exclaimed that it reminded him of the inside of a pomegranate. The association is strengthened in the pomegranate's imagery. It is ancient symbol of re-birth, springtime, fertility and [for us especially] of health and healing.

Rimon is Hebrew for pomegranate.

The pomegranate reminds us of the serendipitous experimental observation that seeded the idea of the "therapeutic polymers" as well as our ultimate goal of developing products that advance human health over the shortest possible timelines.

Canadian industry leaders to be recognized June 19 in Toronto at CANMEDBIO 2006

Howard — Fri, 26 May 2006 19:55:00 -0400


Ottawa (May 26) - BIOTECanada is pleased to announce the recipients of its annual National Biotechnology Awards. The winners will be honoured at the National Presidents’ Awards Dinner in Toronto on June 19, in conjunction with CANMEDBIO 2006. Rimon Therapeutics is one of two companies selected to win the Promising Early Stage Company Recognition award. Winners in this category are poised to take off and have distinguished themselves from their peers with demonstrated leadership and significant achievement.

For more information see: http://www.biotech.ca/canmedbio/CMB-news-May2606.html

Wound Healing Society Conference 2006: Effect of MI-Sorb™ Dressing on MMPs in Human Chronic Wounds

Kerry — Thu, 18 May 2006 11:29:00 -0400

Rimon employees attended the 16th annual meeting of the Wound Healing Society (WHS) in Scottsdale, Arizona from May 14 - 17, 2006. The meeting draws the leading academic, clinical, industrial, and government players in wound healing science. For Rimon, it was an opportunity to convey what we have learned through our own dedicated research efforts and discover new advancements in wound healing as presented by fellow attendees. Rimon gave two presentations at the conference and funded work that was nominated for the Young Investigators Award. Our three key technologies were represented: MI Theramer™, AM Theramer™, and Angiobeads™. Rimon’s products drew attention from both large and small industrial colleagues.

Rebecca Ho of Rimon Therapeutics gave a presentation at this year's conference. To view the presentation, click the attachment below.

Visit of Alastair Glass - Deputy Minister, Ministry of Research and Innovation, Government of Ontario and Mark Romoff - President and CEO, Ontario Centres of Excellence to Rimon Therapeutic, May 8, 2006.

Howard — Mon, 08 May 2006 17:08:00 -0400

Dr. Alastair Glass, Deputy Minister, Ministry of Research and Innovation, Government of Ontario, asked poignant questions: “How did Rimon Therapeutics start? How does the technology work? What are the challenges the team faces? How does it participate in the sector? Does the company intend to stay in Ontario?” Rimon's President and COO, Michael May, responded frankly about the company, its accomplishments and plans.

Dr. Glass served as the first Director of Information and Communications Technology for Science Foundation Ireland, a board responsible for making science and technology funding decisions for the Irish government. In this role he helped establish programs to fund the best Irish scientists and engineers, to attract outstanding researchers from universities and industry to Ireland and to brand Ireland as a premier research location. Dr. Glass then came to Ontario to join the newly established Ministry of Research and Innovation as its first deputy minister. In this capacity he will help develop and lead an integrated and coherent innovation agenda to foster a culture of innovation excellence and showcase Ontario nationally and internationally as an innovation-based economy and society.

Mark Romoff, President and CEO, Ontario Centres of Excellence (OCE), brought Alastair to Rimon to see first-hand how the company is engineering its success and contributing to the Ontario biotechnology sector. The OCE, a not-for-profit corporation, delivers the “Ontario Centres of Excellence” program, which is funded by the Ontario Ministry of Research and Innovation. The OCE supports the commercialization of research, industrial and academic collaboration, and technology transfer. It also facilitates the research and education of Ontario’s best and brightest students at universities, colleges and research hospitals.

Rimon and the OCE have had a long relationship, starting with research grants and continuing with networking and training. Dr. Michael V. Sefton, ScD, Rimon’s Chief Scientific Officer and one of its directors, spoke recently at a major OCE conference on the company’s entrepreneurial trajectory. At the conclusion of the meeting, Michael May pointed out the importance of home-grown biotechnology jobs to the growth of the sector in Ontario. University graduates who get their first jobs in Ontario, he said, will be more likely to stay, set down roots, grow businesses and contribute to biotechnology here. The OCE, Michael said, helped him do just that—and Rimon, he added, will continue to work with the OCE to make that same opportunity possible for others in the Ontario biotechnology sector.

For more on information on Alastair’s work at the Ministry of Research and Innovation see http://www.mri.gov.on.ca/english/about/DMBio.asp

For more information on Mark’s work at the Ontario Centres of Excellence see http://www.oce-ontario.org/
In attendance from right to left:
Howard Oliver - Principal, What If What Next™ - PR
Mark Romoff - President and CEO, Ontario Centres of Excellence
Michael May - President, and Director, Rimon Therapeutics
Steve Johnston - Director Business Development, Rimon Therapeutics
Alastair Glass - Deputy Minister, Ministry of Research and Innovation, Government of Ontario
Gary Skarja - Director, Research & Development, Rimon Therapeutic
Allison Brown - Senior Scientist, Rimon Therapeutics
Kerry Cathers - Office Manager, Rimon Therapeutics

Poster presented at the 2006 SWAC conference

Howard — Thu, 04 May 2006 17:43:00 -0400

Evaluation of matrix metalloproteinase inhibition by MI-sorb dressing for the treatment of chronic wounds
G.A. Skarja, R.K. Ho, ...

Article on Rimon Therapeutics

Howard — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 11:56:00 -0400

Piece from the Ontario Centers of Excellence: Rubbing plastic in the wound helps healing

"In North America, millions of chronic wounds require constant care amounting to over $20 billion annually in treatment costs. Toronto-based Rimon Therapeutics Ltd. has developed a “smart” dressing made from advanced medical polymers (plastics) that supports the body’s natural healing process for those suffering from painful diabetic ulcers, bedsores and venous ulcers. Rimon’s MI-Sorb,™ is an easy-to-apply chronic wound dressing that contains the company's revolutionary bioactive materials called Theramers®. “Theramers allow the body to heal without the side effects or costs of conventional drugs,” says Michael May, President of Rimon. The MI-Sorb dressing works by removing the tissue-destroying enzymes in chronic wounds, kick-starting the natural wound healing process."
See the attachment for the complete article.

Media Coverage in Canadian Business Online

Howard — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 12:22:00 -0400

6 Questions: One-on-One with Michael H. May Ph.D., president, Rimon Therapeutics

Canadian Business Online interviewed Michael May, president, Rimon Therapeutics in April of this year. Click to read the resulting article.

A Comment from One of Our Interns

Howard — Fri, 15 Feb 2008 11:42:00 -0500

Working at Rimon Therapeutics has been a challenging and rewarding experience and has truly been one of the highlights of my university career. I was given the opportunity to work independently on many projects and thus was able to utilize all the skills that I learned in my undergraduate classes. Working at Rimon has given me a new appreciation for research and laboratory work and has inspired me to pursue my education to a higher level.

Rimon Therapeutics Ltd. Sponsored Effort Wins Best Poster

Howard — Tue, 06 Nov 2007 12:37:00 -0500

Rimon sponsored a poster by Dr. Gary Sibbald, Patricia Coutts, Kevin Woo and Sunita Coelho at The 13th Annual Conference of the Canadian Association of Wound Care, London, Ontario, November 1-4, 2007.
The poster was called “Random Controlled Trial of Matrix Metalloprotease Inhibiting Dressing with Foam Dressing Compared to a Foam Dressing Alone for the Measurement of Metalloproteases and the Healing of Stalled Chronic Wounds” and it won an award for Best Poster in the Case Studies category.
For more on the conference see: http://www.cawc.net/open/conference/2007%20handouts/2007-handouts.html
To request a copy of the poster contact: may@rimontherapeutics.com

Media Coverage of Rimon Therapeutics and Theramers™ - Therapeutic Polymers

Howard — Tue, 28 Aug 2007 13:28:00 -0400

BY ANY OTHER NAME

2007 April, Drug Discovery News – Editors Focus, by Randall C. Willis

“The thought arose as I listened to Dr. Michael May, president of Rimon Therapeutics, discuss his experiences in spinning out a company from an academic project. Aside from his comments about building networks and optimizing information flow, he described the early steps in the development of Theramers™, therapeutic polymers that the company has been promoting for wound healing. With one Theramer™, May and his colleagues discovered that something in the polymer itself inhibited matrix metalloproteases (MMPs), which are associated with tissue weakening.”

Click here for the complete article.

Posting in the June 2007 edition of Biomedical Business & Technology

Howard — Wed, 11 Jul 2007 12:12:00 -0400

Rimon Therapeutics (Toronto) is researching applications for Theramers™, a family of medical polymers

that have biological activity and can potentially be used in scaffolds, beads and coatings. Theramers

work on contact by disrupting the bacterial cell membrane and inhibiting the activity of MMPs.

The company gave an oral presentation of a 32-subject clinical trial on MI-Sorb, a Theramer-based

dressing, used on ulcerated wounds which validated its efficacy.

Other applications of its core technology are Angiogenic Theramer™ for inducing the growth of new

blood vessels in wounds or other ischemic tissue; AM Theramer™, a thermoplastic material that kills gram

positive and gram negative bacteria without harming mammalian cells; and ThermaGel, a polymer that

changes from a liquid to a strong gel at body temperature.

Rimon to present at BioContact 2006

Kerry — Mon, 02 Oct 2006 15:15:00 -0400

Rimon Therapeutics Ltd. is pleased to announce that company president, Dr. Michael May, will be presenting at this years' BioContact conference in Quebec City. His presentation will be held at the Salle Place d'Armes at 9:30am on Friday, October 6th. The thirty-minute presentation will be followed by a question and answer session.

BioContact is a biopharmaceutical partnership symposium in its thirteenth year. It brings together research institutions, industry, venture capitalists, and government agencies. This year it is expected that 150 presenters from over 20 countries will attend the three-day symposium, along with over 1200 participants.

Visit the site next week to view Dr. May's presentation.

BioFinance 2006 Coverage: Blogging the Conference

Howard — Fri, 05 May 2006 08:58:00 -0400

Toronto, May 3-4, 2006 - Through the two days of the event (http://www.biofinance.ca)  over one hundred (mostly) CEO’s give half-hour presentations on their company's technology, team, progress to date and go-forward plans. Specialty panels by investors at breakfast and lunch framed each day.

BioFinance 2006 is the Canadian Life Science industry's leading investor conference. The meeting brings together key industry players to consider investment opportunities and issues affecting companies in biotechnology, medical devices, diagnostics and research tools. Participants include senior life science executives, institutional and venture capital investors, industry analysts, corporate finance executives and experts from the scientific and medical communities in Canada, the United States, Europe and Asia.



Michael H. May spoke on day two of the conference which took place at the Toronto Mariott.

These blog entries summarize what we heard and experienced, with some interpretation and analysis. Rimon Therapeutics engaged us to "blog the event" as part of their ongoing PR program to promote their company and the Canadian Biotechnology sector.

Thanks to Michael Stinson, Executive Director, BioFinance 2006 for inviting us to attend the event as "Citizen Journalists".

Click on the BioFinance 2006 on the top left to read more. We welcome your comments.

Howard Oliver for Rimon Therapeutics

www.whatifwhatnext.com

BioFinance 2006 Coverage: Presentation by Dr. Michael H. May PhD, President, Chief Operating Officer, Director

Howard — Thu, 04 May 2006 20:25:00 -0400

We have uploaded an unedited recording of Michael's presentation. If you would like to review the slides please contact us.

BioFinance 2006 Coverage: CEO Checklist

Howard — Thu, 04 May 2006 15:32:00 -0400
·      Be bold and innovative
·       Focus on high value added activities

·       Take a proactive ...

BioFinance 2006 Coverage: Comments by Michael Stinson, Executive Director, BioFinance

Howard — Thu, 04 May 2006 10:50:00 -0400

“There are a number of highlights this year for me. First, I'm very pleased with the number of high quality ...

BioFinance 2006 Coverage: Breakfast Panel - Getting Product to Market

Howard — Wed, 03 May 2006 22:23:00 -0400

Breakfast Panel: Getting Product to Market

Key comments by panel members: Don Corcoran - Methylegene Inc.; Greg Hines - TM Bioscience Inc.; ...

BioFinance 2006 Coverage: Growth of the Sector in Canada

Howard — Wed, 03 May 2006 19:30:00 -0400

Summary of comments by panelists:

·       There is a palpable sense of movement in the industry.

...

BioFinance 2006 Coverage: Biofinance 2006 Brochure

Howard — Tue, 02 May 2006 12:30:00 -0400

From the Brochure: http://www.biofinance.ca/DownloadourBrochures

"BioFinance 2006 is the life science industry’s leading investor conference in
Canada. The meeting brings together ...

Poster presented at the Society for Biomaterals 2006 Annual Meeting

Howard — Sat, 29 Apr 2006 16:54:00 -0400

The Society For Biomaterials is a professional society that promotes advances in biomedical materials research and development by encouragement of ...

Rimon listing in Ontario biotech directory

Howard — Wed, 26 Apr 2006 08:00:00 -0400
http://www.biotechontario.com/bp/organization.do?task=display&print=on&organizationNo=709

Google Alert for: Rimon Therapeutics

Howard — Tue, 25 Apr 2006 07:37:00 -0400

Posters and Orals for the wound care symposium of the year!
GA Skarja, RK Ho, AL Brown, MH May, MV ...