OKC bioscience companies developing technologies to save lives, grow business

Dr. Mohan Purushothaman makes a presentation on Progentec at the OKBio booth at the 2018 BIO International Convention.

Two Oklahoma City startups are working to improve the lives of people who suffer from various health conditions through technologies they are developing in their Oklahoma City labs.

Progentec is a leader in the development of diagnostic and digital technologies that support the proactive management of autoimmune diseases. Founded by Dr. Mohan Purushothaman and located at the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation, company researchers have developed a novel blood test called aiSLE DX Flare Risk Index that can identify a patient’s future risk of experiencing what is called a lupus flare.

Flares are periods of high disease activity that can lead to organ damage and hospitalizations for patients. Early detection of flares enables clinicians to take proactive steps to better manage that patient’s care, said Brett Adelman, Progentec’s chief marketing officer.

“Progentec has launched a platform that helps generate the data and insights doctors and patients need to battle autoimmune diseases,” said Adelman, who added that a suite of mobile apps has also been developed to complement the laboratory component to help patients better track and manage their condition.

“Across the country, more and more people are living with autoimmune diseases. Treating them requires understanding the underlying immunological changes and the impact of lifestyle factors. That is why we think our aiSLE MGMT solution, which combines both laboratory and digital technologies to support patients and clinicians, is the key to improving health outcomes,” Adelman said.

Started by University of Oklahoma engineering alums Steve Lindo and Rick Pendergraft, Simergent is developing a more affordable in-home kidney dialysis device that is more mobile and quieter than other leading home dialysis devices. In addition, Simergent’s device is intended to dramatically lower the risk of infections among patients.

“Rick and I decided to start Simergent and build a peritoneal dialysis device that is meant to address some of the issues that the existing devices on the market were not,” Lindo said. Their device, which they call the Archimedes system, is not yet on the market; however, Lindo said the initial launch is close, but first they must finish testing and then file an application with the Food and Drug Administration, which will happen in 2022.

Patients going through kidney dialysis essentially have two treatment options available to them. One is traveling to a dialysis center and having their blood removed and cleansed there – called hemodialysis – which can be costly and time consuming. Another option is to get treatment at home from devices that clean blood inside the body and therefore requires no needles – and no road trips. This treatment is known as peritoneal dialysis and is what the Archimedes system does.

The Archimedes system is designed to reduce the chances of dialysis patients developing peritonitis, an infection of the peritoneum caused by what is commonly referred to as “touch contamination,” Lindo said.

“When the patient opens up a new disposable tubing set and tries to connect it themselves, sometimes the patients will accidentally touch the end of the connector before they connect it to the port coming out of their abdomen. This can sometime cause an infection,” he said.

The answer to this potential problem was to design a disposable tubing set that Lindo’s team believes will drastically reduce the number of peritonitis cases. The Archimedes system is on wheels and can operate off a battery, making it more mobile, helping patients feel less trapped.

“If they want to start their therapy in their living room while watching TV or interacting with their family members, then they can wheel it into their bedroom and go to sleep, and the machine will continue to deliver the rest of their therapy while they are sleeping,” said Lindo, adding that the Archimedes system is less painful and easier to use for dialysis patients.

Oklahoma City’s reputation in the bioscience space has steadily grown in recent years with the addition of more companies and investment capital, resulting in more breakthrough discoveries and more jobs. The most recent estimates show that bioscience companies in Oklahoma City support 51,000 workers with total compensation of $2.2 billion.

This article originally appeared in the August 2021 edition of the VeloCity newsletter.