Epitracker UpdatesFEATURE
October 2020 - Epitracker's CEO Featured as an Innovative Disrupter in Authority Magazine Epitracker's Stephanie Venn-Watson was interviewed by Authority Magazine to talk about how disrupting industries (like, how we approach health) can improve the greater good. PRODUCT October 2020 - Epitracker's spinout launches first product Seraphina Therapeutics, Epitracker's first spinout company, is launched its first consumer health product. Fatty15 is a once-daily encapsulated supplement containing a pure, powder form of C15:0. The extensive science around C15:0 (a trace fatty acid in butter), including support of its role as the first essential fatty acid to be discovered in 90 years, was recently published by Epitracker and Seraphina in Scientific Reports. Visit fatty15.com to learn more. FEATURE September 2020 - Epitracker's discovery process featured on Xconomy Insights Webinar Stephanie Venn-Watson, co-founder and CEO, served on an Xconomy Insights Webinar to share how Epitracker, a company with a unique model of discovery and non-traditional populations, uses phenotypic screening and profiling to understand compounds’ disease impacts. Register for this free webinar to watch the taped panel discussion. FEATURE September 2020 - Epitracker's discoveries with aging dolphins featured on PBS interview Epitracker's Stephanie Venn-Watson and Dr. Nicholas Schork (both co-founders of Epitracker's spinout, Seraphina Therapeutics) discuss with Ted Simons their discovery of dolphins with different aging rates - and what that could mean to improve both dolphin and human health. PRESS RELEASE & SCIENTIFIC PUBLICATION PNAS Scientific Paper August 2020 - Epitracker uncovers groundbreaking science that may help delay aging in dolphins and humans Epitracker today announced the results from a 25-year longitudinal cohort study of bottlenose dolphins, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science, that identified factors differentiating individuals with slow and accelerated aging rates. Key indices of aging rates, including declining hemoglobin and lymphocytes with age, may be targeted to help delay aging. As a first step toward slowing aging rates, Epitracker recently announced and published in Scientific Reports that Seraphina Therapeutics, an Epitracker spinout, is advancing C15:0 as a supplement to target multiple components of aging, including declining hemoglobin with age. C15:0 will be available during Fall 2020. AWARD August 2020 - Epitracker receives $3.3M CDMRP Peer-Reviewed Medical Research Program award to develop therapeutics for pulmonary fibrosis Pulmonary fibrosis is a chronic, progressive lung disease with no treatment, impacting 1 in 200 adults over 60 years old and killing 40,000 Americans every year. As part of CDMRP's Peer-Reviewed Medical Research Program, Epitracker has been awarded a 3-year grant to develop one of its most promising small molecule candidates as a potential therapeutic for patients with pulmonary fibrosis, including military service members, Veterans, and their beneficiaries. PRESS RELEASE & FINANCING May 2020 - Epitracker spinout, Seraphina Therapeutics, raises $6.2M Series A Seraphina Therapeutics, a health and wellness company dedicated to improving global health through the discovery and development of essential fatty acids and micronutrients, announced a $6.2M Series A fundraise, led by Domain Associates. Seraphina is advancing C15:0 as a supplement, food ingredient and as a means to treat nutritional deficiencies. PRESS RELEASE & SCIENTIFIC PUBLICATION Scientific Reports Paper May 2020 - Epitracker Spinout, Seraphina Therapeutics, Introduces C15:0, a Saturated Fat with Growing Evidence of being First Essential Fatty Acid Discovered in 90 Years Seraphina announced the discovery of pentadecanoic acid (C15:0) as an active dietary saturated fat demonstrating evidence of broad health benefits across multiple studies. C15:0, a trace odd-chain saturated fatty acid found in butter, is the first potential essential fatty acid to be discovered in 90 years, demonstrating promotion of strengthened cells, functioning mitochondria, and cellular homeostasis. This discovery, published in the peer-reviewed Scientific Reports (a Nature research journal), was part of an extensive series of studies conducted over the past 3 years, led by Dr. Stephanie Venn-Watson, CEO and co-founder of Epitracker Inc and Seraphina Therapeutics. SCIENTIFIC PUBLICATION PLOS ONE Paper April 2020 - Epitracker Publishes Peer-Reviewed Scientific Paper Demonstrating How a Modified Fish Diet High in C15:0 Alleviates Anemia in Dolphins Navy dolphins provided a modified fish diet demonstrated lower cholesterol and insulin, as well as alleviated anemia, within three months. These effects were not seen among dolphins maintained on the baseline diet. Upon evaluating 664 known metabolites, increased dietary intake and serum levels of C15:0, an odd-chain saturated fatty acid, independently predicted improved anemia. These results were published in PLOS ONE. Epitracker and Seraphina Therapeutics are currently evaluating the potential health benefits of dietary odd-chain saturated fatty acids for both dolphins and humans. FEATURE December 2019 - Epitracker Co-Founder Presents in Opening Session for the World Congress on Insulin Resistance, Diabetes, and Cardiovascular Disease. Dr. Stephanie Venn-Watson, Epitracker CEO and co-founder, presented at the opening session for the 17th Annual World Congress on Insulin Resistance, Diabetes, and Cardiovascular Disease in Los Angeles. Stephanie discussed how comorbidities of aging (such as type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease) can be stemmed using natural small molecules that target key hallmarks of aging. AWARD April 2019 - Epitracker spinout, Seraphina Therapeutics, Designated San Diego Venture Group 2019 Cool Company Seraphina Therapeutics, Inc., an Epitracker spinout company focusing on healthier, longer lives, was won a 2019 Cool Company award from the San Diego Venture Group. Stay tuned for more information on Seraphina! UPDATE February 2019 - Epitracker Welcomes Dr. Magda Marquet to the Board of Directors We are honored to announce the addition of Dr. Magda Marquet to the Epitracker Board of Directors. Since 2016, Magda has served as a valuable member of our advisory board and will now be taking on a larger role in our continued growth. Magda was the founder and CEO of multiple companies including Althea, Althea Dx, ALMA Life Sciences and Ajinomoto Bio-Pharma Services. She has three decades of experience in the biotechnology industry, holding management positions in Vical Inc., Amylin Pharmaceuticals, Protein Polymer Technologies, Syntro Corp., and Transgene. She has received numerous awards throughout her career and is the first woman to be inducted into the CONNECT Entrepreneur Hall of Fame. Welcome Magda! FEATURE October 2018 - Epitracker Co-Founder Gives Keynote Address at Veteran & Military Entrepreneur Conference Eric Venn-Watson, Epitracker Co-Founder and Navy reservist physician, provided the keynote talk at the 2018 Veteran & Military Entrepreneur Conference on October 30th in San Diego. As last year's winner of the Best Startup for Veteran & Military Entrepreneurs, Eric will be sharing his military and Epitracker stories to inspire other veterans and veteran spouses to follow their passions through startups. AWARD September 2018 - Epitracker Awarded Office of Naval Research Phase I SBIR Contract As part of our ongoing commitment to improving dolphin health, Epitracker was awarded a Phase I Office of Naval Research Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR) contract to develop supplements that protect Navy dolphin health. This work began during October 2018. AWARD August 2018 - Epitracker Wins 2018 Regional FLC Award for Outstanding Technology Development The Federal Laboratory Consortium (FLC) recognizes promising technologies coming from federal labs that can have a positive impact on consumers and/or economies. During August, Epitracker and the US Navy received the FLC's 2018 Outstanding Technology Development award for our small molecules to treat metabolic syndrome. AWARD May 2018 - Epitracker Awarded 2018 SDVG Cool Company Every year, the San Diego Venture Group (SDVG) opens applications and selects 30 of the coolest, newest, and most innovative companies in the region. The competition was hot, including over 180 applicants. We are happy to announce that Epitracker was selected as an SDVG Cool Company for a second year in a row! FEATURE May 2018 - Epitracker's CEO on Panel, Women Leaders Impacting Life Sciences Epitracker's CEO, Stephanie Venn-Watson, was part of an engaging LaunchBio and Women in Bio panel with leaders who are setting the agenda in the life sciences. With a lot of candor and laughter in this sold-out evening event, the panelists shared stories about their journeys, what challenges they faced along the way, and what advice they had for all entrepreneurs looking to lead. AWARD February 2018 - Epitracker Wins Boehringer Ingelheim's Innovation Prize and BioLab's Golden Ticket Recognizing the power of start-ups to create and sustain innovative pipelines for new breakthrough therapies, Boehringer Ingelheim (BI) and Boehringer Ingelheim Venture Fund (BIVF) created the Innovation Prize in celebration and support of the innovation process. At an exciting evening event, Epitracker and other San Diego biotech startups pitched to a prestigious panel representing large pharma, venture funds, and established entrepreneurs. We are proud to announce that Epitracker won! The prize includes one full year of paid lab space at our current home in BioLabs. FEATURE October 2017 - Epitracker Featured at San Diego Innovation Showcase Epitracker presented at the San Diego Innovation Showcase, an inaugural event to highlight innovations and startups from San Diego's science hub. Stephanie and Eric Venn-Watson, Epitracker's co-founders, joined the SSC Pacific Technology Transfer Office team to share how Navy-based discoveries are improving animal health and leading to potential cures for cardiometabolic diseases. AWARD October 2017 - Epitracker Co-Founder Wins 2017 Veteran & Military Startup Entrepreneur Award Commander Eric Venn-Watson, Epitracker Co-Founder, was awarded best military veteran entrepreneur for a startup company by the San Diego Business Journal and Rosie Network. The awards ceremony celebrated San Diego's veteran and military community of entrepreneurs and their companies, and Epitracker is proud to be among them. Congratulations, Eric! AWARD May 2017 - Southern California - Epitracker Selected as San Diego Venture Group 2017 Cool Company It is official...we are cool! Epitracker has been announced as a 2017 Cool Company by the San Diego Venture Group (SDVG). With over 160 applicants, we are proud to be among 36 companies selected by SDVG and touted to VCs as 'one of the fastest growing , exciting startups in Southern California'. Look forward to the many SDVG events ahead! FINANCING May 2017 - San Diego - Epitracker Raises Seed Funding Epitracker successfully raised seed funding to advance development of its lipid-based therapeutic platform to prevent, manage, and treat cardiometabolic diseases. FEATURE April 2017 - San Diego - Epitracker's CEO Nominated for Athena's 2017 Pinnacle Award Stephanie Venn-Watson, Epitracker's co-founder and CEO, was nominated for Athena's 2017 Pinnacle Award, Individual in Life Science. UPDATE April 2017 - San Diego - Epitracker's New Digs at BioLabs San Diego Epitracker is enjoying our new laboratory space at BioLabs San Diego where our Director of Research, Dr. Rick Lumpkin, and consulting medicinal chemist, Dr. John Reiner, are busy working on our lead therapeutic, ETI-101. Thank you, BioLabs! FEATURE April 2017 - San Diego - Epitracker Co-Founder and CMO Presents at VetsinTech San Diego Eric Venn-Watson participated in a panel at the UCSD Rady School of Management focused on veteran entrepreneurship. Military veterans in San Diego heard Eric's stories about his transition from active duty to biotech. UPDATE January 2017 - San Diego - Epitracker welcomes Michael Berthelot to Business Advisory Board We are honored to announce the addition of Michael Berthelot to our BAB. Mike has vast experience in corporate governance and ethics, having served on more than thirty public, private, and non-for-profit boards over the past thirty years. Mike founded Cito Capital Corporation, teaches at UCSD Rady School of Management and has been awarded Director of the Year by the Corporate Directors Forum. FEATURE December 2016 - Los Angeles - Epitracker is Featured Presentation at Annual Faculty Dinner for World Congress on Insulin Resistance, Diabetes and Cardiovascular Disease We were honored to present our novel lipid-based therapeutic platform and other dolphin-based discoveries relevant to this prestigious cardiometabolic community. Thank you, WCIRDC...it was a fantastic meeting! FEATURE June 2016 - San Diego Startup Week is Here! Co-Founders Eric & Stephanie Venn-Watson on Seed Funding Panel To help kick off the first day of San Diego's Startup Week, Epitracker's co-founders, Eric & Stephanie Venn-Watson participated in a panel discussion, "Guiding Seed Stage Founding Team in the Health and Wellness Space." Enjoy the week, fellow entrepreneurs! FEATURE April 2016 - Los Angeles - Epitracker Highlighted at LA BioMed Innovation Showcase 2016. Epitracker pitched at LA BioMed's Innovation Showcase on April 28th, while enjoying our expanded our supportive network in Southern California. FEATURE April 2016 - San Diego - Epitracker Co-Founder on Rady School of Management Entrepreneurship panel Eric participated in a panel discussing entrepreneurship in San Diego. FEATURE April 2016 - San Diego - Epitracker CEO and Co-Founder Part of Women in Business Series at UCSD Stephanie participated in an interactive panel with fellow women entrepreneurs in San Diego. This fun event was hosted by The Entrepreneur Challenge. FINANCING February 2016 - San Diego - Epitracker Raises Seed Funding Epitracker successfully raised its first round of seed funding to support development of ETI-101 as an oral therapeutic to prevent, manage, and treat metabolic syndrome. FEATURE January 2016 - San Diego - Epitracker Welcomes Greg Horowitt to Board of Directors Welcome, Greg! Greg Horowitt is a Partner with Jun Capital, Founding Partner & Managing Director for T2 Venture Capital, and Co-Founder and Senior Advisor of Global CONNECT. Greg has personally advised and mentored more than 200 companies. He is the co-author of the bestselling book, The Rainforest: the Secret to Building the Next Silicon Valley. UPDATE January 2016 - San Diego - Epitracker LLC Converts to Epitracker Inc. As part of our planned growth as a biopharmaceutical company, Epitracker has converted from a limited liability corporation to a Delaware-based C corporation. What a great way to kick off an exciting new year! UPDATE December 2015 - San Diego - Epitracker Expands its IP Portfolio Through a licensing agreement with the U.S. Navy (Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center Pacific), Epitracker has acquired exclusive licensing rights to five pending U.S. patents and four international patents related to products that aim to detect, prevent, and treat metabolic disorders. FEATURE September 2015 - Epitracker Presented as Hot Topic for Venture Summit 2015 Epitracker's new approach to tracking diseases and finding cures in nature was presented as a prestigious Hot Topic for Venture Summit 2015 in San Diego on September 25th. PLOS ONE ARTICLE July 2015 - Epitracker's Co-Founder Discovers Molecule that May Prevent Type 2 Diabetes In a PLOS ONE article released this month, Dr. Stephanie Venn-Watson and her team reported the discovery of a molecule present in some fish that was associated with normalizing insulin, glucose, and triglycerides in dolphins. These findings are receiving national media attention in the Union Tribune, Tech Times, and TakePart, as well as international coverage in India, U.K., and Germany. Listen to NPR Science Friday's podcast and KPBS Evening Edition's interview on this discovery. Learn more. July 2015 - Epitracker Acquires Exclusive License from U.S. Navy for Novel Use of Fatty Acid to Treat Prediabetes An exciting launch to Epitracker's new initiative to find cures, it has acquired an exclusive license from the U.S. Navy to commercialize and market a novel fatty acid to prevent, alleviate, treat, and cure hyperferritinemia, metabolic syndrome, and their associated complications. July 2015 - Landmark Settlement Proposed by BP for Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill Weeks following publication of key studies led by Epitracker. University of Illinois, and the U.S. Government documenting the likely effects of oil exposure to wild dolphin deaths in the Gulf of Mexico, BP has offered an $18.7B settlement, including support to restore dolphin health. June 2015 - Epitracker Invited as Hot Topic for San Diego Venture Summit 2015 Epitracker's new approach to tracking diseases and finding cures in nature has been invited as a prestigious Hot Topic for Venture Summit 2015 in San Diego on September 25th. April & May 2015 - 5-Year Anniversary of the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill: Epitracker Co-Founder Answers Media's Questions about Gulf Dolphins Five years following the Deepwater Horizon oil spill and upon the release of key findings in part from Epitracker's funded investigation, Scientific American, New York Times. CBS News and others covered scientific studies related to the potential impacts of the oil spill on dolphins in the Gulf of Mexico. April 2015 - Epitracker Joins Biocom Proud to be part of Southern California's innovative life sciences community, Epitracker is now an official member of Biocom. April 2015 - Epitracker Welcomes Dr. John Contreras as a Biocom Veteran Intern As part of Biocom's Military Veteran Initiative, Epitracker welcomes Dr. John Contreras! Dr. Contreras is serving as Epitracker's marketing consultant to help implement one of our exciting and promising new marketing and commercialization plans. March 2015 - Epitracker Acquires License for Novel Use of Fatty Acid to Stem Diabetes and Hyperferritinemia An exciting launch to Epitracker's new initiative to find cures, it has acquired a license to commercialize and market a novel fatty acid to prevent, alleviate, treat, and cure metabolic syndrome and hyperferritinemia, as well as their associated conditions. March 2015 - Epitracker Co-Founder & CEO Presents at J&J IN(novation): Powerful Ideas Series If you had 10 minutes to change business models, the lives of patients and, ultimately, the world – what would you do with it? As part of the J&J (IN)novation: Powerful Ideas Series, Dr. Stephanie Venn-Watson presented how bringing together the best minds from human medicine, veterinary medicine, and laboratory and field science - to help dolphins - may help to stem the global diabetes pandemic. This exciting series took place at the CALBIO 2015 meeting in San Francisco on March 2, 2015. February 2015 - Epitracker Leads Key Publication on Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill & Potential Dolphin Impacts An Epitracker-led study investigating demographic clusters of wild dolphin strandings before and since the Deepwater Horizon oil spill has been published in PLOS ONE. Read the L.A. Times and New York Times articles covering Dr. Stephanie Venn-Watson and the large investigative team's key findings. December 2014 - Cover Story for Biocom's Lifelines Magazine Features Innovative Science with Epitracker Co-Founder Lifelines magazine featured Epitracker's CEO's Dolphins & Diabetes Program with the National Marine Mammal Foundation. In the cover story entitled, 'From Project to Passion,' Dr. Stephanie Venn-Watson shares the value and importance of applying a One Health approach to build multidisciplinary teams who can help to better prevent, manage, and treat diseases in both dolphins and humans. December 2014 - Epitracker Co-Founder on Committee Panel for San Diego's Economic Development Corporation Dr. Eric Venn-Watson participated in a panel to discuss the benefits and costs of starting and keeping businesses in San Diego. Dr. Venn-Watson's fellow panel members included the President & CEO of Sony Online Entertainment and Chairman of Proficio, Inc. November 2014 - Epitracker Co-Founder Featured at Biocom's Annual Dinner Biocom, Southern California's leading member organization for life science companies and institutions, featured Epitracker's CEO, Dr. Stephanie Venn-Watson, at their annual dinner themed, 'Making Waves'. Over 700 attendees from San Diego's leadership community listened to Dr. Venn-Watson's talk on the National Marine Mammal Foundation's Dolphins & Diabetes Project, including their most innovate science to improve dolphin health while also translating into exciting, new ways to prevent and cure diabetes in people. June 2014 - Epitracker Adds New Focus Area - Finding Cures Thanks to support from BIO International and Biocom, Epitracker has added a new focus area of Finding Cures. This exciting area was due to the life science community's recognition of the high and untapped potential of finding cures by investigating disease and health in novel, natural animal populations. September 2014 - NOAA Contract Awarded to Epitracker to Aid in Marine Mammal Health Monitoring and Analysis Program (MMHMAP) The Marine Mammal Commission is partnering with NOAA's Marine Mammal Health and Stranding Response Program and others to develop a National Marine Mammal Health Monitoring and Analysis Program (MMHMAP) which will allow easy tracking of marine mammal diseases detected by location, time, and species. Epitracker has been contracted to help develop MMHMAP's strategic plan, facilitate workshops, and implement the national program. January 2014 - National Resource Damage Assessment of Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill Adds Epitracker to Team As part of a multi-year investigation of potential impacts of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill on marine mammal health in the Gulf Of Mexico, Epitracker has been awarded a subcontract with Industrial Economics. Epitracker will play a lead role among the investigative team to evaluate potential associations between wild dolphin strandings, disease states, the oil spill, and other potential contributors. June 2013 - Epitracker becomes a Limited Liability Corporation This month, Epitracker changed from a sole proprietorship to a limited liability corporation. August 2012 - NOAA Contract to Support Brucella Surveillance and Strategic Planning in Alaska Won by Epitracker Epitracker was awarded a 2-year contract with NOAA to help establish a national Brucella surveillance program in wild marine mammals; facilitate a workshop in Alasksa; and help develop a strategic plan for monitoring and investigating marine mammal unusual mortality events in Alaska. March 2012 - Epitracker Successfully HUBZone Certified by U.S. Small Business Administration Epiracker successfully acquired HUBZone Certification and is now eligible for set aside HUBZone government contracts. January 2011 - Epitracker Wins Prime Contract to Aid in Gulf of Mexico Dolphin Unusual Mortality Event Investigation In response to an ongoing cetacean unusual mortality event in the northern Gulf of Mexico, Epitracker won a NOAA contract to help characterize, track, and investigate potential causes of increased dolphin mortalities. February 2010 - Epitracker Co-Founder & CEO Featured on National Public Radio's Science Friday During a special National Public Radio's Science Friday edition in front of a live audience, Epitracker's Co-Founder, Dr. Stephanie Venn-Watson, discussed with host Ira Flatow, the shared benefits of studying diseases in both humans and dolphins. Click here to listen to this show. February 2010 - Epitracker Co-Founder & CEO Receives Positive International Attention for Discovery The American Association for the Advancement of Science selected the scientific discovery from Epitracker's CEO, Dr. Stephanie Venn-Watson for a formal press conference during their annual meeting in San Diego, California. Dr. Venn-Watson presented her discovery of a possible natural diabetes off switch in bottlenose dolphins through her work at the National Marine Mammal Foundation. This exciting discovery received positive, international attention, including BBC, National Geographic, and CBS. June 2009 - Trademark for Epitracker Acquired Epitracker has trademarked its name through the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. October 2009 - Epitracker Wins Subcontract with Earth Resources Technology, Inc. for National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Epitracker has been awarded a 2-year NOAA subcontract to prioritize marine mammal pathogens, facilitate a workshop and develop a strategic plan to prioritize contaminants of concern for the International Whaling Commission, facilitate workshops and develop strategic plans for sea turtle health monitoring and marine mammal Coxiella surveillance, and to conduct retrospective studies to assess perinatal dolphin strandings in the Gulf of Mexico. May 2008 - Epitracker Launched as Data Analytics Company Epitracker, founded by Dr. Stephanie Venn-Watson and Dr. Eric Venn-Watson, was launched this month. Epitracker was born from the power of analytics, the founders' passion for discovery, and the growing demand for evidence-based medicine. Epitracker is a woman owned-small business based in San Diego, California. |
EPITRACKER UNCOVERS GROUNDBREAKING SCIENCE THAT MAY HELP DELAY AGING IN DOLPHINS AND HUMANSEpitracker Spinout, Seraphina Therapeutics, Announces Discovery of C15:0 as First Potential Essential Fatty Acid Discovered in 90 Years.
This discovery was recently published in the peer-reviewed scientific journal, Scientific Reports, as part of an extensive series of studies conducted over the past three years.
Watch ABC news coverage (above) on the C15:0 discovery, and listen to the Dairy Dialog podcast (below).
Modified Fish Diets Alleviates Anemia in Dolphins - Role of C15:0
Our discovered use of C15:0, a trace dietary saturated fat in fish, to alleviate anemia in dolphins was recently published in PLOS ONE. Through these findings, Epitracker is providing insight into the importance of fish-based C15:0 to maintaining health of both dolphins and people.
Making Breakthroughs Through One Health: J&J Innovations Powerful Ideas SeriesIf you had 10 minutes to change business models, the lives of patients and, ultimately, the world – what would you do with it? As part of the J&J (IN)novation: Powerful Ideas Series, Epitracker's Co-Founder, Dr. Stephanie Venn-Watson, presented how bringing together the best minds from human medicine, veterinary medicine, and laboratory and field science - to help dolphins - may help stem the global diabetes pandemic. This exciting series took place at the CALBIO 2015 meeting in San Francisco on March 2, 2015.
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