NEW YORK, Jan. 06, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Mid-Atlantic Bio Angels (MABA) announces today that Aptatek Biosciences (www.aptatek.com) which is developing a digital at-home health-maintenance system for Phenylketonuria, a genetic disorder that causes the buildup of certain amino acids, was named “Best of the Best” by the audience at MABA’s Annual 1st Pitch Life Science year-end event held on December 18, 2019 at the law offices of Wilson Sonsini Goodrich and Rosati in New York City. The event gathers multiple “Best in Show” winners from 2019 1st Pitch Life Science competitions.
"Participating in the 1st Pitch events was both enjoyable and enlightening, as it provided us with the opportunity to not only benefit from two rounds of feedback from expert judges as well as the audience of industry members and competing companies. Events such as 1st Pitch help us refine our messaging and commercial strategy, both key to building a successful life sciences company" stated Michael Boyce-Jacino, Ph.D., CEO of Aptatek Biosciences. “We were honored to have been named the 2019 ‘Best of the Best’ among a very qualified and innovative group of companies and look forward to capitalizing on this success as we continue to grow Aptatek in 2020.”
Aptatek’s goal is to enable home-based monitoring of chronic disease to improve patient outcomes through improved compliance and disease management. Currently, diagnosis and monitoring of many chronic diseases is performed in centralized laboratories, which is costly, slow, and inaccessible to millions of people globally. One such disease is Phenylketonuria (PKU), which causes a buildup of the amino acid phenylalanine and can result in intellectual disability, seizures, behavioral problems, and mental disorders if not well managed. Once diagnosed, typically at birth, PKU patients must closely monitor their phenylalanine levels using expensive and slow central lab tests for their entire lifetimes to help manage potentially severe health challenges. Aptatek’s monitoring device, allowing patients to test their phenylalanine levels at home, could be game changing for thousands of people affected by PKU because it provides clinical grade testing in an easy-to-use, portable device.
"Aptatek's lab-at-home testing platform for chronic disease monitoring is fully-consistent with the ongoing trend toward lower-cost, home-based health care and has the potential to change the way the patients and physicians manage chronic disease," added Jon Popke, angel investor and MABA Steering Committee Member.
About Aptatek
Aptatek is a digital health company developing a novel patient-directed home monitoring system for chronic diseases ranging from inborn errors of metabolism such as phenylketonuria to chronic kidney disease. The privately held company is a spin out of Columbia University and is based in Princeton, New Jersey.
About 1st Pitch Life Science
1st Pitch Life Science (http://www.1stpitchlifescience.com) is a program initiated by Mid Atlantic Bio Angels to educate early stage life science and healthcare companies and an audience consisting of life science ecosystem participants about how angel investing works. Although specific formats vary, at each event at least three early stage companies present a pitch deck and experienced investors provide either one-on-one coaching or direct constructive feedback intended to help the companies improve their chances of getting investment. The audience members vote on “Best in Show”. In all cases, the companies receive constructive criticism of the company’s presentation, business model and perceived viability in the market. At the end of each year, the “Best in Show” winners compete against each other for the title of “Best of the Best.”
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 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. MABA recently launched a sidecar fund (https://sidecarfund.bioangels.net/) to enable co-investment by accredited non-members.
Contact:
Jules Abraham
JQA Partners, Inc.
917-885-7378
jabraham@jqapartners.com