Glycosyn, Inc. is a biotechnology therapeutics and diagnostics company, dedicated to reducing or eliminating infant and childhood diarrhea worldwide, the primary cause of morbidity and mortality among children.
In addition, Glycosyn is developing products for traveler’s diarrhea and animal health, as well as diagnostics and therapeutics targeting necrotizing enterocolitis and other conditions. Glycosyn is seeking $2-$5 MM to carry these products toward production and global distribution.
Founded in 2002, Glycosyn was formed to commercialize discoveries that arose during three decades of pioneering academic research by its three scientific founders, David Newburg, PhD, Harvard/Massachusetts General Hospital; Ardythe Morrow, PhD, Cincinnati Children’s Research Foundation; and Guillermo Ruiz-Palacios, MD, Instituto Nacional de Ciencias Medicas y Nutricion–Mexico. They discovered natural, anti-infective components (glycans) in human breast milk and demonstrated that these components provide significant protection against infectious diarrhea. In 2007 Glycosyn established laboratory facilities in Medford, Massachusetts and hired John McCoy, PhD, a senior industry professional with over 25 years experience in biotechnology and biopharmaceuticals, as Chief Scientific Officer, and Greg Thill, PhD, a pioneer in the development of yeast recombinant expression systems, as Director of Molecular Biology.
Human milk contains thousands of bioactive glycan structures with specific functions that promote health. Specific human milk glycans have been found to be anti-infective, anti-inflammatory, and/or to promote mucosal development and immunity. Over the past two decades, research sponsored by the National Institutes of Health conducted by Glycosyn’s founding scientists has identified specific glycans unique to human milk that have translational potential as novel therapeutic agents to promote healthy development and reduce risk of infection, inflammatory diseases, and adiposity. Human milk is particularly effective in prevention of infectious diseases.
Glycosyn has licensed intellectual property protecting these discoveries and inventions, and is in the process of developing methods for large-scale economic production of anti-infective glycans. These products, based on the natural substances our scientists have identified in human milk, are proven to be safe and effective and, unlike antibiotics, will not promote the development of pathogen resistance. This new class of products promises to impact significantly one of the most important public health problems in the world, infant and childhood diarrhea. Glycosyn has partnered with Grameen Bank and Professor Muhammad Yunus, 2006 Nobel Peace Prize winner, to distribute these products to children with the greatest need, initially in Bangladesh. Professor Yunus also serves on the Glycosyn Advisory Board.