Ventoux Biosciences
Advancing Treatment for Dupuytren's, ledderhose, and related
fibrotic diseases
About
Ventoux Biosciences
Ventoux Biosciences, a privately held Delaware C-Corp based in San Diego, is a pharmaceutical company focused on acquiring, in-licensing, developing, and commercializing proprietary products for Dupuytren’s Disease, Ledderhose Disease, and related fibroproliferative, inflammatory conditions with significant unmet medical need. The company initiated pre-clinical evaluation of it’s early stage pipeline, VEN-201 and VEN-202, in Q2 2023.
Founder
Kurt Harrington is the founder and CEO of Ventoux Biosciences. Kurt 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. Previously, Kurt was with Vault Bioventures 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.
Founder Story
Dupuytren’s appeared in my life at age 37. As a busy husband, father, pharmaceutical executive, coach, guitarist, and triathlete – I was unwilling to simply “watch and wait” for my hands to become disabled, to lose mobility, or to lose function.
My Dad has Dupuytren’s therefore, I was very familiar with the literature and patient testimonials citing the significant physical and economic burden of the disease ranging from loss of work and inability to perform daily activities to pain and a reduced quality of life. Sadly, I have encountered countless patients that had to stop a career they loved, or playing an instrument, or participating in certain activities – due to Dupuytren’s.
Fast forward to present day – I have completed three hand surgeries (2 needle aponeurotomy, 1 open) and three courses (30 treatments) of targeted radiation therapy in effort to keep my Dupuytren’s at bay. I also have Ledderhose in my right foot as well as Garrod’s Knuckle Pads in both hands. I am deeply thankful for my care team and the treatments I have received. However, significant unmet medical needs remain for patients with Dupuytren’s and novel treatment options are deeply warranted.
I formed Ventoux Biosciences to change the treatment paradigm for patients suffering from Dupuytren’s contracture and related conditions. My passion and mission is to build a best in class organization leveraging my 25+ years in the biopharmaceutical industry coupled with my deep, and first-hand knowledge of Dupuytren’s – identify novel treatments and change the course of this debilitating disease.
Inspired by patients, powered by purpose
Markings capturing my three prior courses of targeted radiation therapy (RT)
Ventoux Biosciences
Scientific advisory boary
Our Scientific Advisory Board provides expert guidance on clinical development, product development, and clinical optimization of the Ventoux Biosciences pipeline. A pipeline dedicated to advancing treatment options for patients with Dupuytren’s, Ledderhose, and other chronic, progressive, fibrotic diseases.
Dr. daiva bajorunas
Daiva Bajorunas MD is an endocrinologist with more than 25 years of experience in the biopharmaceutical industry. She has a strong interest in advancing therapeutic options for conditions of significant unmet medical need.
For the past decade, Daiva has been engaged as a consultant to the pharmaceutical industry, currently as Founder and Principal, DBMD Consulting, and previously as Chief Medical Officer / Chief Scientific Officer for Vault Bioventures. She has provided her expertise to enhance large, mid-size and small pharmaceutical company product development, clinical/regulatory, and life cycle strategies for both drugs and devices, including oral, transdermal, injectable and inhalative delivery systems, working across multiple therapeutic areas and geographies. She has considerable experience chairing Data Safety Monitoring Boards.
In the past she held various R&D positions of increasing responsibility at Rhone-Poulenc Rorer, BMS, Aventis (acquired by Sanofi), and Kos Pharmaceuticals (acquired by Abbott). Before she joined industry, she held academic appointments at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center and Cornell University Medical College (CUMC), and was Director of Clinical Care, Endocrinology Service, Memorial Hospital (MH), New York, NY. Daiva received her MD degree at the University of Michigan Medical School, did her residency training at St. Vincent’s Hospital & Medical Center in NY, her metabolism fellowship at Stanford University Medical Center, CA and her endocrinology fellowship at MH/CUMC, NY.
Dr. Keith Denkler
Dr. Denkler is an accomplished, board certified plastic surgeon with expertise in aesthetic and reconstructive surgery. Dr. Denkler is a clinical professor of plastic surgery at UCSF and has a private practice in Marin County.
He is internationally renowned for his use of multiple approaches in treating the debilitating and disabling effects of palmar fibromatosis (Dupuytren disease). Dr. Denkler is an expert in needle aponeurotomy (NA), a minimally invasive procedure that uses subcutaneous needles to release the contracture as well as use of subcutaneous injection of collagenase. He has treated over 10,000 Dupuytren’s fingers, authored >35 publications and book chapters, presented internationally and domestically and is often cited for expert opinion in national and international news discussing Dupuytren’s. HIs pioneering investigational work documenting the safety of epinephrine with local anesthesia contributed to the origination of “wide-awake hand surgery”.
Dr. Denkler trained at prestigious medical institutions in the United States and Europe. He attended Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas, followed by residency training in plastic and reconstructive surgery with the Cronin, Bauer, and Biggs group, also in Houston. Additionally, Dr. Denkler completed a hand surgery fellowship with Dr. Eugene Kilgore in San Francisco and one year of fellowship training in craniofacial surgery with Dr. Paul Tessier in Paris, France.
Kenneth E. Lipson, Ph.D.
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.
Latha Satish, M.Sc., M.Phil, Ph.D.
Dr. Satish is a trained biotechnologist with several years of experience in cell and molecular biology. Dr. Satish’s interest has been in skin research with a special focus on skin inflammation, infection, and fibrosis. The other arm of Dr. Satish’s research has been to study the molecular determinants of palmar fascial disease, Dupuytren’s contracture.
Her long-term interest has been to develop therapeutic agents to help alleviate the pain and distress of patients with Dupuytren’s. Her studies on Dupuytren’s disease were funded by a private donor, which moved the research forward to study this disease in an animal model, which was not feasible earlier. Dr. Satish’s research on Dupuytren has identified small molecules that can be used as a target to intervene with the progression and development of the disease.
Dr. Satish received her Ph.D. from a prestigious institute in India and did her post-doctoral training at the University of Pittsburgh. Currently, Dr. Satish serves as a faculty at the Division of Asthma Research, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital; named as the top hospital in the US. At Cincinnati Children’s, Dr. Satish researches Atopic Dermatitis, a chronic inflammatory skin disease affecting children and adults. Dr. Satish has published over 50 articles in peer-reviewed journals, review articles and book chapters.
Dupuytren's Disease
Dupuytren's Disease
A Chronic, Debilitating, Irreversible Disease
Dupuytren’s Contracture is a genetic, connective tissue disease of the hand that effects upwards of 1 in 20 adults. Dupuytren’s is frequently under-treated due to few and predominantly surgical, treatment options.
Physicians & Patients need more options
Patients with Dupuytren’s disease suffer from decreased / lost hand function, loss of hand mobility, pain, negative economic impact due to lost work, withdrawal from activities of daily living, and reduced QoL.
No cure exists
Novel treatments to improve patient outcomes as well as modify the course of disease are clinically warranted.
Significant unmet Medical need & Large addressable population
>30 million
Estimated Prevalence in United States and Europe
Up to 85%
Post Operative Disease Recurrence
1
FDA Approved Product (United States only)
Pipeline
fibromatosis pipeline
Advancing treatment options for patients with chronic, disabling, and underserved fibrotic diseases with purpose driven focus on Dupuytren’s (palmar fibromatosis) and Ledderhose (plantar fibromatosis).
The investigational products listed on this page are not approved by the FDA or have not been approved for the above referenced indication, and the safety and effectiveness of such as not been established.
Contact
Contact Us
info@ventouxbio.com
(760) 621-8562
Address:
- 315 South Coast Highway 101, Suite U245 Encinitas, CA