NEW YORK – (DGIwire) — It’s impossible to ignore—the rise of gluten-free foods is upon us. Many people randomly choose to go gluten-free because they think it offers health benefits, much like cutting out meat or bread from a diet even if one doesn’t have high cholesterol. However, some people have no choice: they must go gluten-free due to celiac disease, an autoimmune disorder involving the improper digestion of gluten—a protein found in wheat, rye and barley.
According to the Celiac Disease Foundation (CDF), about one in 100 people worldwide have the disease. For them, the increased availability of gluten-free products is a godsend because avoiding gluten is the only treatment available right now. The CDF says even ingesting a small amount of gluten, such as crumbs from a cutting board or toaster, can be dangerous and trigger intestinal damage. If left untreated, the disease can lead to health problems such as diabetes, multiple sclerosis, anemia, migraines and skin rashes.
Fortunately, there are other treatment options in the works. A recent collaboration between Avalon Ventures, a San Diego-based investment firm, and GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), one of the nation’s leading pharmaceutical companies, made way for the potential treatment being developed by Sitari Pharmaceuticals. Sitari was recently founded with $10 million specifically to develop new treatments for people suffering from celiac disease. Under their innovative collaboration, Sitari is targeting the transglutaminase (TG2) pathway for the development of treatments, with an initial focus in celiac disease.
Avalon’s longstanding and highly successful focus has been on seeding early-stage companies, including many in the life science and information technology sectors. At Avalon, Jay Lichter, Ph.D., one of the seven dynamic partners, recently established a new independent pharmaceutical business named COI Pharmaceuticals to provide operational support, R&D facility and experienced leadership.
“COI is a community of innovation,” says Lichter, who also serves as Chief Executive Officer of COI. “It’s an unconventional life sciences collaboration of intelligent people. When you are working with 25 people who are all tops in their fields, the benefits of their communal breadth of knowledge is unparalleled in this kind of startup setting. ”
In addition to Sitari, Lichter specializes in investing in what he says “others won’t touch.” His expertise lies in audiology, anti-infectives, pet therapeutics and other bioscience sectors that have immediate needs and are underrepresented in the pharmaceutical world. Added to his more than 25 years of experience in management, scientific research and business development, Lichter is also an inventor who holds more than 260 patent and patent applications. He continues to be a powerful force in the pharmaceutical industry and has been involved in licensing or merger and acquisition deals valued in excess of $1 billion.
“We believe the early stage is the most challenging and rewarding period of company development,” says Lichter. “At our core, we’re former entrepreneurs supporting other passionate people who are pursuing daring ideas in ever-changing market environments.”