CoMentis is a biotech company focused on the research and development of small molecule drugs to treat neurovascular diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease (AD), age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and other cognitive disorders.
This information was obtained from the CoMentis website.
Originally founded in 2004 as Athenagen, Inc., the company was re-named CoMentis following its August 2006 merger with Zapaq, Inc., which created a leading neurovascular disease franchise.Zapaq was founded in 2001 by Jordan Tang, Ph.D., of the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation, and Arun Ghosh, Ph.D., now at Purdue University, both experts in the field of aspartic proteases. Dr. Tang’s groundbreaking discovery of beta-secretase, an aspartic protease which is a critical enzyme in beta amyloid production and the pathogenesis of Alzheimer’s disease was published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences in 2000. Athenagen was founded to develop therapies based on the nAChR angiogenesis pathway. In April 2006 Athenagen acquired Osprey Pharmaceuticals, including its oral compound GTS-21 for cognitive disorders.
CoMentis is currently led by W. Scott Harkonen, M.D., President and Chief Executive Officer. Most recently, Dr. Harkonen was the Chairman of the board of directors and Chief Executive Officer of CoTherix, Inc.
The company raised $7 million in a Series A financing round in September 2005, $50 million in Series B in September 2006 and $12 million in Series C in October 2007. Investors include Sanderling Ventures, Charter Life Sciences, Clarus Ventures, Index Ventures, Astellas Venture Capital L.L.C., and a large Boston based money management firm.
CoMentis currently employees 54 people in offices in South San Francisco and Oklahoma City.
For more information about CoMentis, please visit their website.
