Sign Up NowThis Month's Tiny Gems - October 2011

CorMedix, Inc. (CRMD)
IsoRay, Inc. (ISR)
Fuel Tech, Inc. (FTEK)

 

 

 

CorMedix, Inc. (CRMD)

 

CorMedix, Inc. (CRMD) is a pharmaceutical company focused on developing and later commercializing therapeutic products for the treatment of cardiac and renal dysfunction, also known as cardiorenal disease. The Company's goal is to treat kidney disease by reducing the commonly associated cardiovascular and metabolic complications, in effect, treating the kidney to treat the heart. CorMedix currently has several product candidates in development.

 

CorMedix has two foundational technologies. The first prevents and/or treats cardiorenal diseases by reducing tissue-damaging oxidative stress caused by excess ("labile" or "toxic") iron. The second prevents infection and clotting that can occur with the use of chronic CVCs (central venous catheters). Chronic CVCs are used in the life-sustaining "artificial kidney" process known as hemodialysis (HD) as well as in chemotherapy, chronic antibiotic therapy, total parenteral nutrition and intensive care.

 

The field of cardiorenal disease encompasses a wide range of interrelated cardiovascular, kidney and metabolic problems since it involves dysfunction of both the kidney and cardiovascular systems. From a scientific point of view, it is now recognized that cardiovascular and kidney diseases are inseparable. In fact oxidative stress and malfunction of blood-vessel lining (endothelial dysfunction) are common to both.

 

The Company has two products entering late stage clinical development: Neutrolin for the prevention of catheter related bloodstream infection (CRBI) and maintenance of catheter patency in Hemodialysis (HD); and Deferiprone for the prevention of contrast induced nephropathy (CIN) in high-risk patients. Reduced development and regulatory risk is anticipated for both products.

 

 

 

IsoRay, Inc. (ISR)

 

IsoRay, Inc. (ISR) is utilizing its patented radioisotope technology, experienced chemists and engineers, and management team to create a medical device company focused on providing improved patient outcomes in the treatment of prostate cancer, lung cancer, ocular melanoma cancer, brain cancer, colorectal cancer, gynecological cancer, and other cancers throughout the body. Through its subsidiary, IsoRay Medical, the Company is the sole producer of FDA-cleared Cesium-131 brachytherapy seeds.

 

IsoRay began production and sales of Cesium-131 brachytherapy seeds in October 2004. The Company is leveraging its technology to capture a leadership position in an expanded brachytherapy market. The more clinically beneficial characteristics of the Cesium-131 isotope are expected to decrease radiation exposure to the patient and reduce the severity and duration of side effects, while treating cancer cells as effectively, if not more so, than Iodine-125 or Palladium-103.

 

In recent news, IsoRay announced that doctors have performed the world's first treatment of metastasized brain cancer using its Cesium-131 brachytherapy seeds. The seeds were implanted directly into a woman's brain to treat a cancer that had originated in the breast. Treatment of metastasized cancers, cancers that originate in other organs, is the latest application of IsoRay's brachytherapy treatment that represents one of the most important advancements in internal radiation therapy in the last 20 years.

 

IsoRay CEO Dwight Babcock emphasized that this treatment is only the beginning, predicting that the adoption of Cesium-131 for the treatment of primary and metastasized cancers will continue growing and gain momentum as the medical community becomes aware of the significant advantages it offers in treating cancer sites throughout the body. The pioneering treatment increases life expectancy and limits the potential of recurrence, while improving quality of life and allowing patients to return to normal activities more quickly.

 

 

 

Fuel Tech, Inc. (FTEK)

 

Fuel Tech, Inc. (FTEK), a leading technology company, is focused on the development, commercialization and application of state-of-the-art proprietary technologies for air pollution control, process optimization, and advanced engineering services. These technologies enable customers around the globe to cost effectively produce both energy and processed materials in an environmentally sustainable manner.

 

The Company's nitrogen oxide (NOx) reduction technologies include advanced combustion modification techniques - such as Low NOx Burners and Over-Fire Air systems - and post-combustion NOx control approaches, including NOxOUT® and HERT™ SNCR systems as well as systems that incorporate ASCR™ (Advanced Selective Catalytic Reduction), CASCADE™, ULTRA™ and NOxOUT-SCR® processes. Fuel Tech has leveraged these technologies to become a respected a leader in NOx reduction, with installations on over 640 units worldwide.

 

The Company's FUEL CHEM® technology is based on using chemicals to improve the efficiency, reliability, fuel flexibility and environmental status of combustion units by controlling slagging, fouling, corrosion, opacity and operational issues associated with sulfur trioxide, ammonium bisulfate, particulate matter (PM2.5), carbon dioxide and NOx. The Company has experience with this technology, in the form of a customizable FUEL CHEM program, on over 110 combustion units burning a wide variety of fuels including coal, heavy oil, biomass, and municipal waste.

 

Fuel Tech also offers an array of combustion optimization services, including airflow testing, coal flow testing and boiler tuning, in addition to services that help optimize selective catalytic reduction system performance, including catalyst management services and ammonia injection grid tuning. Flow corrective devices and physical and computational modeling services are also provided to optimize flue gas distribution.