Zero Point Five Therapeutics, which focuses on developing treatments for “neglected tropical diseases,” has raised $7.2 million in Series A funding led by San Francisco-based Portfolia.
The Potomac, Md., startup was co-founded by CEO Joseph Amprey, III, and Chief Scientific Officer Helen Pentikis, Ph. D. The two industry veterans previously co-founded Symbiomix Therapeutics, which was acquired by Lupin Pharmaceuticals.
Zero Point develops drugs for “neglected tropical diseases,” or NTDs, with an initial focus on treating infections caused by soil-transmitted parasitic worms, known as helminthiasis. Overall, NTDs — as defined by the World Health Organisation — are estimated to impact a sixth of the world’s population. The diseases bear half the combined burden of HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria and are Seen primarily as a symptom of poverty and disadvantage. The diseases remain underserved by the healthcare industry because the predominantly poor cannot afford expensive drugs. Even public health has not prioritized treatments for these diseases, leading to less than a tenth of infections being treated.
Soil-transmitted helminthiasis, Zero Point’s early focus, are a group of intestinal parasites — such as roundworm (Ascaris), hookworm (Necator americanus and Ancylostoma duodenale) and whipworm (Trichuris). Together, these lead to 2 billion infections worldwide. All three worms are prevalent among the poor, especially when there is absence of good sanitation and hygiene.
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Veterans with a Hit
Amprey is a healthcare veteran who was most recently a vice president and head of U.S. Medical Affairs at Lupin Pharmaceuticals. He played a key role in the launch of a bacterial vaginosis for females called Solosec. Amprey also co-founded two companies — Symbiomix Therapeutics, which was acquired by Lupin, and Zyngenia — and has run a $300 million corporate venture fund, MedImmune Ventures, which later became the venture arm of Astra Zeneca. After a bachelor’s degree in Biochemistry from the University of Pennsylvania, he went on to receive Doctorate of Immunology and medicine degrees from Cornell University’s Weill Medical College through the NIH-funded medical scientist training program (MSTP).
Pentikis has over 25 years of experience in new drug development, and with Amprey co-founded Symbiomix. Her work has focused on anti-infectives, women’s health products, central nervous system, oncology and oncology supportive care. During her career, she has headed clinical pharmacology at AkaRx and served as a senior research fellow at Sanofi-Aventis. With a B.S. in Biology from Wake Forest University, and a Ph.D. in Pharmacology and Toxicology from the University of Maryland, she also completed a Pharmacokinetics Fellowship at the FDA.
San Francisco-based Portfolia team is led by CEO Emeritus Trish Costello, previously a co-founder of the prestigious Kauffman Fellows Program at the Center for Venture Education. Costello served as the first president of CVE Capital Corp., a holding company affiliated with a $700 million Fund of Funds.
