Bionature is partnering with TIME

The chance to intern at an innovative startup firm like Bionature is an experience that most MBE students crave for. This innovative venture has managed to attract the spotlights of world attention due to its innovative products. TIME students who intern at Bionature will have a firsthand experience of how a pharmaceutical startup operates, how it attracts R&D funds, how it links its R&D with the market and above all they will submerge themselves in its vibrant entrepreneurial environment.

Bionature E.A. Ltd, established in 2003, is a spin-off of the University of Crete in Greece. The Company's founders are Professors Elias Castanas and Achilleas Gravanis, both of the University of Crete Medical School. Bionature's stakeholders also include the University of Crete and the private investment group of Emergo. The Faculty of Medicine of the University of Crete was established in 1984 and is presently ranked among the best medical schools in Europe. Emergo is a diversified investment group with a long-term vision. Their ownership structure allows them to think outside of the box while respecting the mission and integrity of management and make short-track decisions that are aligned with the long-term strategies of portfolio companies.

Bionature focuses on the development of novel, proprietary small molecules for the treatment of neuroinflammatory and neurodegenerative diseases, such as multiple sclerosis, retinopathy and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Bionature's team has discovered that its molecules interact with the receptors of the prototypical neurotrophin, nerve growth factor (NGF) and are therefore referred to as "microneurotrophins." Microneurotrophins have been shown to be very effective in preventing and reversing the demyelination and neuronal degeneration observed in the experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) model of multiple sclerosis (MS) and in preventing apoptosis in models of retinal degeneration. They are also strong inducers of neurogenesis in vivo.

Bionature owns a robust intellectual property portfolio in the field that includes patents covering the composition of matter of newly synthesised small molecules and the use of these molecules for the treatment of human pathologies. The Company has completed pre-clinical proof of efficacy studies in various animal models and has established the safety profile of its drug candidate molecules. It is currently in the process of exploring opportunities for further pre-clinical development that could lead to Phase I/II studies by the end of 2014. Bionature's novel molecules hold significant promise to become first in class therapeutic agents of tremendous clinical importance and value.