NEW YORK, March 9, 2015 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Mid-Atlantic Bio Angels (MABA) announces today that Symbiotic Health, Inc. (www.symbioticbio.com), a New York-based company that has developed a capsule to help kill Clostridium difficile infection, was named "Best in Show" at the first of MABA's 1st Pitch Life Science events in 2015. The 1st Pitch Life Sciences competition was held on February 24, 2015 at the New York Genome Center in New York City.
"Symbiotic Health has developed a unique solution to an increasingly serious problem: hospital-acquired bacterial infections traceable to heavy use of antibiotics. Its proprietary pill promotes the human body's own ability to fight these infections by fostering the growth of naturally occurring microbiome bacteria, thus presenting a valuable alternative mode of treatment," said David F. Broderick, Partner, McCarter & English, LLP, one of the panelists during the 1st Pitch competition.
The Clostridium difficile bacterium is one of the most common antibiotic resistant, hospital-acquired infections, affecting more than 500,000 patients and 30,000 deaths annually. Conventional antibiotics used to kill the Clostridium difficile bacterium tend to disrupt the patient's microbiome, a diverse ecosystem of microbes in the gut that has been shown to play important roles in human health. This disruption increases the likelihood of a recurrence of the infection. The company's proprietary process creates a stable, compact, patient-friendly capsule containing a purified concentration of fecal-derived bacteria from healthy subjects. The bacteria in the capsules help the body restore its natural microbiome, thus excluding additional pathogens that may otherwise cause additional infection.
"Symbiotic Health is a team of scientists, clinicians and entrepreneurs dedicated to transforming patient care using the microbiome. The microbiome is the diverse ecosystem of microbes that live on and in our bodies and play important roles in our health. We use the power of these microbes to counter dangerous, invasive infections," said Gerard Honig, CEO of Symbiotic Health, Inc. "We would like to acknowledge our VP for Commercial Development, Steve Popielarski, who has a great passion for bringing disruptive innovation to health care; and our co-founder, Bruce Hirsch, faculty at NorthShoreLIJ Health System, who has devoted his career to helping patients suffering from infectious diseases. We particularly wish to thank Mid Atlantic Bio Angels for the opportunity to present in the 1st Pitch event, and are grateful for feedback and recognition we received."
"Dr. Honig's pitch and responses to questions demonstrated both mastery of the competitive space and a willingness to address challenges to his analysis calmly and directly. His style, as well as his substance, exemplified the maxim that it's not just the business plan but the management that ultimately brings a company success," said Stephen M. Goodman, Co-founder of Mid Atlantic Bio Angels and a partner at Pryor Cashman LLP in New York City, also a panelist at the event.
About 1st Pitch Life Science
At a 1st Pitch event (http://www.1stpitchlifescience.com), early stage life sciences and healthcare companies make a 15-minute presentation to a panel of experienced life science investors and consultants, followed by a 15-minute audience Q&A. However, where actual investors would then ask the presenting company to leave the room during their subsequent discussion, presenting companies at 1st Pitch are invited to hear the panel constructively critique the company's presentation, business model and perceived viability in the market.
About MABA
Mid Atlantic Bio Angels (http://bioangels.net) is a group of active angel investors, which meets in New York City monthly (except July and August) solely to hear from pre-screened early-stage life science companies. MABA members consist of individuals from Delaware to Massachusetts with significant expertise and experience in the biotechnology, pharmaceutical and healthcare industries, including former and current corporate executives, doctors and Ph.D. scientists with product development backgrounds, successful medical entrepreneurs and analyst/investors focused on life sciences. MABA's goal is to create an environment where the depth of investors' knowledge coupled with the pre-screening of presenting companies enhances the potential for meaningful investment.