Aursos, Inc.

The Company

Our Background

Aursos (pronounced R-sos) was founded in March of 2007. The Company has licensed technology developed at Michigan Technological University in the laboratory of Dr. Seth Donahue on the family of naturally-occurring parathyroid Hormone (PTH) proteins found in the black bear (Ursus americanus). The therapeutic mission of the company is to develop black bear PTH (BB-PTH) 1-84 for the prevention and treatment of primary and secondary (disuse) osteoporosis.

The Company was established under the guidance of The Apjohn Group, LLC, which is a business accelerator, established in 2001 and based in Kalamazoo, MI. The Apjohn Group brings together invaluable resources of management talent and angel/seed financing to enhance start-up activities of promising new technologies.

Aursos never has or never will use bears in research or to produce the product being developed for patients with osteoporosis. The gene for black bear parathyroid hormone was found in blood obtained from hibernating bears (bears were unharmed by a small blood sample withdrawal) and was expressed in E. coli (bacteria) in the manufacturing process. Thus, the product is produced recombinantly and no actual bears are used by Aursos. The bone building hormone is made in a laboratory and is equivalent in structure to the natural hormone found in the bear.

The Osteoporosis Market

With the increasing population of "baby boomers" moving into retirement age, the pharmaceutical osteoporosis market is projected to dramatically increase. The forecast for this market is US$8-10 billion by 2010 and nearly US$14 billion by 2014, with approximately 80% of sales being derived in the US. There is a substantial market opportunity for a new anabolic osteoporosis drug that may out perform current pharmaceutical treatments. Currently, only one human anabolic treatment is commercially available for the treatment and prevention of osteoporosis (recombinant human PTH 1-34, teriparatide/Forteo®). Forteo® has worldwide sales of $511 million (70% from the US market) with a growth rate of 21% (January - September of 2007).

There are also disuse conditions (chronically immobilized) that contribute to secondary osteoporosis, such as muscular dystrophy, stroke, and/or spinal cord injury that are potential areas of development.