Ventoux Biosciences
novel, first-line treatments for dupuytren's disease
About Us
Revolutionizing dupuytren's treatment
Ventoux Biosciences is working to transform treatment for Dupuytren’s disease. Founded by a Dupuytren’s patient and propelled by a team with expertise from bench to bedside – we are driven to advance treatment options for Dupuytren’s and related immune-fibrotic diseases with significant unmet need.
Founder Story: Inspired by Patients, Powered by Purpose
Our founder has had Dupuytren’s and Ledderhose disease for about 15 years and his father has had it for over 30 years. Kurt Harrington started Ventoux Biosciences to embrace the challenges this disease presents and to seek novel, first-line, disease slowing treatment for millions of fellow patients and future generations faced with this debilitating, chronic, and progressive disease.
leadership
Kurt Harrington
CEO and Founder
Kurt is an experienced pharmaceutical executive and a Dupuytren’s and Ledderhose patient. He formed Ventoux Biosciences to help address the significant unmet medical need in Dupuytren’s Disease – a common, disabling, fibroproliferative hand disease with few treatment options.
Kurt is an accomplished leader with over 25 years of Biopharmaceutical experience. Prior to starting Ventoux Biosciences, Kurt served as a consultant and advisor supporting leadership, founders, and operators ranging from large-cap multinational companies to early stage start ups on commercialization, corporate strategy, business development, market access and product development. Kurt served in various positions of increasing responsibility at AstraZeneca, Biogen, Amylin (acquired by BMS), Cadence Pharmaceuticals (acquired by Mallinckrodt Pharmaceuticals), and Avanir (acquired by Otsuka Pharmaceutical).
Kurt received his M.B.A. in Pharmaceutical Marketing from Saint Joseph’s University and B.S. in Marketing from Western Michigan University.
Ken Lipson, Ph.D.
Chief Scientific Officer and Vice President Corporate Strategy
Dr. Lipson has more than 30 years of experience in biotechnology and multinational pharmaceutical companies, including FibroGen, 3M Pharmaceuticals, Pharmacia, SUGEN and CIBA-Geigy (now Novartis). Most of his career has focused on discovery and research of drugs for treatment of fibrosis and cancer, during which he made key contributions to several agents that are marketed or are currently in development. Dr. Lipson received awards from two of the companies at which he worked for his seminal contributions. In addition to the fibrosis and oncology therapeutic areas, he also has experience in cardiovascular, neuromuscular, inflammation, metabolic and infectious diseases, which are represented in his more than 100 publications in peer-reviewed journals, review articles and book chapters, and patent applications.
Prior to his industry experience, Dr. Lipson served on the faculty of the department of Pathology at Temple University Medical School. Dr. Lipson earned two simultaneous BS degrees in Biology and Chemistry from the University of Toledo, and a Ph.D. in Chemistry from Case Western Reserve University. His postdoctoral studies at Sloan-Kettering Institute and Temple University Medical School provided additional training in biochemistry, pharmacology, cell biology and molecular biology.
Laxma G. Reddy, PhD
Vice President, Product Development
Dr. Laxma Reddy is the Vice President of Product Development for Ventoux Biosciences. Dr. Reddy is a biochemist, protein chemist, and pharmaceutical development scientist with >30 years of experience in drug discovery, preclinical development, and sustained-release drug delivery product development. Dr. Reddy brings extensive experience in the development of sustained-release drug delivery dosage forms including injectables and parenteral formulations for biologics, peptide therapeutics and small molecule drugs. Prior to Ventoux Biosciences, he served as Senior Director of Drug Product Development at Drug Delivery Experts (acquired by Pace Life Sciences) where he led sustained-release drug delivery projects from feasibility to preclinical GLP-PK studies.
Dr. Reddy holds a B.Sc. in Biology and Chemistry from Osmania University and an M.Sc. in Biochemistry/ Life Sciences from the University of Hyderabad. Dr. Reddy earned a PhD. in Biochemistry and Biophysics from the Center for Cellular and Molecular Biology and completed a postdoctoral fellowship in Molecular Neurobiophysics at the University of California, San Diego.
Ventoux Biosciences
Scientific advisory board
Dr. daiva bajorunas
Dr. Keith Denkler
Latha Satish,M.Sc, M.Phil, Ph.D
Matt Cravets
Mr. Cravets is an accomplished industry leader in biostatistics with extensive experience in program design and analysis.
Johnny Randel
Dupuytren's disease
Dupuytren's Disease (Palmar Fibromatosis)
A Chronic, Progressive, Debilitating, Irreversible Disease
How Does Dupuytren's Impact Patients
Decreased / Loss of Hand Function
Disease causes fingers to bend inwards towards the palm. Affected fingers can not straighten, thus significant impact on hand function.
Loss of Hand Mobility
Fibrosis from Dupuytren's may also move laterally across the palm, impacting ability to spread hand / fingers.
Activities of Daily Living
Typically simple activities can be difficult or impossible for Dupuytren's patients - from shaking hands to putting on gloves or throwing a football.
Reduced Quality of Life (QoL)
Dupuytren's disease affects both performance of activities and patient QoL.
Work Loss / Economic Implications
Loss of hand function / range or hand motion are key limiters for some patients to perform work tasks.
Other Symptoms
Patients with Dupuytren's may also experience pain, tenderness, burning, pressure / tension, tightness, and itching.
Significant unmet Medical need & Large addressable population
>40 million
Estimated Prevalence in United States and Europe
Up to 85%
Post Operative Disease Recurrence
o
Approved first-line, disease modifying pharmacologic treatment options
Pipeline
Powered by purpose
a pipeline inspired by patients
Pipeline
VEN-201, an investigational compound, demonstrated key anti-fibrotic actions and a positive safety profile in a pre-clinical in vivo study using an established dermal fibrosis (scleroderma) model. Based on the demonstrated anti-fibrotic effects we are working to advance VEN-201 as our lead developmental candidate targeting Dupuytren’s and Ledderhose disease.
Investors
About Us
Ventoux Biosciences, Inc. is a pioneering pre-clinical stage biopharmaceutical company, dedicated to revolutionizing the treatment of Dupuytren's disease (palmar fibromatosis). Founded in October 2022 by a patient impacted by Dupuytren's - our mission is to identify, test, and deliver first-line pharmacologic treatments aimed at delaying disease progression and improving post-operative outcomes. Our team is comprised of seasoned fibrosis and oncology drug discoverers, award winning Dupuytren's researchers, clinical development and regulatory leaders, and esteemed Dupuytren's treatment specialists. We are committed to swiftly expanding treatment options for individuals afflicted with this under-served, immuno-fibrotic, disease.
why invest
Ventoux Biosciences is committed to maximizing investor value by developing novel treatments for under-served fibrotic diseases with focus on Dupuytren's disease - a common, chronic, and progressive disease with no pharmacologic approved first-line options to delay disease progression and no cure.
HOw to Invest
We are pleased to offer two different ways to invest in Ventoux Biosciences. Whether you are an experienced investor or first time investor, you can support our mission to revolutionize treatment for Dupuytren's disease. Please see below for additional information.
Major Investors
Retail Investors
We'd Love To Hear From You
contact us
Address
315 S. Coast Highway 101 Suite U245 Encinitas, CA 92024
