BioElectron Technology Corporation
Biotechnology ResearchCalifornia, United States51-200 Employees
BioElectron is a platform biotechnology company, with expertise in the electron transfer (redox) chemical reactions that underpin oxidative stress and inflammation in all biological systems. We are using this expertise in redox biochemistry to develop first-in-class therapeutics for unmet medical needs. Our therapeutic candidates target a select set of enzymes, called oxidoreductases, with known biological significance. Our initial clinical focus is on developing treatments for inherited mitochondrial diseases primarily affecting children, where there are unambiguous genetic alterations in key oxidoreductase systems. Mitochondrial diseases share a common feature: defects in DNA that encode for proteins critical to the proper handling of electrons. The process of regulating the flow of electrons is known as redox control, and it is essential to the generation and regulation of energy in living systems. Thus, mitochondrial diseases are diseases of redox control. These diseases commonly result in severe neurological impairment and death at an early age. At present, there are no FDA- or EMA-approved treatments. Through the reverse-engineering of mitochondrial diseases, BioElectron has been able to identify a number of initial drug targets, which has led to the development of drug candidates aimed at treating children with mitochondrial diseases. These drugs are in active clinical development. Our current lead drug, EPI-743, uniquely targets 15-lipoxygenase—a key enzyme involved in the regulation of oxidative stress, inflammation and programmed cell death (also known as ferroptosis), biological processes that are significant in the pathology of mitochondrial and other diseases. We also possess a rich pipeline of other first-in-class targets, novel drug candidates, and paired diagnostics for a wide array of conditions; e.g. Parkinson’s disease, ALS, diabetes, autism and cancer.