U.Va. Research Inspires New Diagnostics Company
While conducting research in Tanzania and Bangladesh a number of years ago, Dr. Eric Houpt, an infectious diseases specialist at the University of Virginia, saw an opportunity to improve the diagnosis of intestinal infections.
Cryptosporidium and Giardia are two common intestinal parasites of international significance. The parasites are easily transmitted through water and cause more than two million clinical infections each year in the U.S. alone. People can become infected when they accidentally swallow pool or lake water or by drinking from a contaminated water source.
Currently available diagnostic tests for these infections are protein-based, and are lacking in sensitivity and specificity. Houpt did a comparison of the existing Cryptosporidium and Giardia tests to the nucleic acid amplification tests developed in his lab. Houpt’s tests performed so well that he decided to try to render these originally research-oriented nucleic acid tests more user-friendly so that they could be introduced into the commercial clinical laboratory market.
Nucleic acid amplification adds layers of sensitivity to testing and may ultimately result in more accurate diagnosis and treatment. “Nucleic acid testing is more sensitive, can detect lower numbers of microorganisms, and can subtype the organism, which is important for outbreak investigations,” explains Houpt.
Nucleic acid tests enlist the polymerase chain reaction to detect the DNA of infecting organisms within a sample. Such tests are now commonly used to distinguish many prominent infections, including HIV, but Houpt noticed a gap in the area of intestinal infections.
Houpt formed Phthisis Diagnostics, a research and development firm, based on his technology in 2005. Phthisis is an ancient Greek/Latin term for wasting away due to contagion, as happens with these intestinal infections or other illnesses such as Tuberculosis. He sought and received National Institutes of Health (NIH) small business funding for the company. Phthisis has now received four NIH grants—a total of $1.7 million.
In 2006, Crystal Icenhour, Ph.D. joined Phthisis as president and director of research. The company has already been attracting some positive attention—it was recently a featured candidate in Forbes magazine’s search for “America’s Most Promising Companies.”
Phthisis spent two years in the U.Va. T100 Alumni Mentoring Program and is now graduating. The T100 Program matches start-up companies with U.Va. alumni who are business experts in order to provide guidance and financial assistance to companies as they evolve towards commercialization.
“There has never been any question about Phthisis Diagnostics’ innovations,” notes Uday Gupta, the company’s T100 team facilitator. Gupta was part of a diverse group of U.Va. alums who guided Phthisis through the early stages of company development. “As Phthisis graduates from the T100 Program, its technology is now complimented with a sound business strategy and leadership team,” Gupta says.
“The T100 group has been very valuable in helping us get our business plan really fleshed out,” says Icenhour. “For example, one of our mentors works for a venture capital group—he’s made sure that we address the questions that investors are going to have.”
A polished fundraising strategy to secure private funding will be critical as the company moves forward. Icenhour expects their first product, the R-Sphere™ Crypto/Giardia Detection test—a diagnostic kit for infections caused by Cryptosporidium and Giardia—to reach market by the end of 2009.
Phthisis’ next product will focus on simplifying the extraction of high-quality DNA from fecal samples. Stool samples are used to screen for intestinal cancer and detect certain infectious diseases. Current products on the market for this purpose are time-consuming and difficult to use, says Houpt.
The company’s plans extend beyond clinical diagnostics. Icenhour is also working with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to potentially develop a product to replace microscope-based water testing. The EPA requires municipalities nationwide to regularly test for Cryptosporidium in their water supplies, which means that there is already a sizeable market for this product.
Phthisis also has an interest in transferring technology to developing countries. Icenhour is working with BIO Ventures for Global Health, a nonprofit that is building partnerships with the biotechnology industry in order to get better diagnostics and treatment into the developing world.
The plan is to build Phthisis as a successful company by focusing on developing novel products for niche markets, says Icenhour. The key, connecting theme is that all new products will address infectious diseases of public health importance.
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