Chlorogen

Chlorogen, Inc. was a biopharmaceutical company established in 2001 by founder Henry Daniell. The firm was strategically positioned in the biotechnology sector, operating from the Nidus Center for Scientific Enterprise incubator in St. Louis, Missouri. Its core focus was on the development and manufacturing of therapeutic proteins through a proprietary method of genetically engineering tobacco plants. The company is no longer active.

The company's foundational technology centered on chloroplast transformation, a process that inserts foreign genes into the chloroplasts of plant cells. This approach was designed to leverage the high biomass of tobacco plants to increase the yield of therapeutic proteins. A key advantage highlighted for this methodology was its environmental safety profile; by modifying chloroplasts, which are not involved in plant reproduction, the risk of cross-pollinating with conventional crops was significantly mitigated. This technology served as a platform for producing a range of proteins for vaccines and drugs.

Chlorogen's business model involved leveraging its platform to create therapeutic candidates and forming partnerships for commercialization. The company engaged in licensing its chloroplast-transformation technology to agricultural biotech firms, generating revenue streams. A notable collaboration was established with Sigma-Aldrich Corp. to produce and market research-grade proteins, which served to validate the platform. The company's pipeline included protein-based therapies targeting gynecological cancers, such as an ovarian cancer drug based on TGF-beta proteins, and it was exploring partnerships to commercialize vaccines for infectious diseases. Chlorogen successfully raised a total of $11.8 million in venture capital over two rounds. The initial Series A funding of $5.8 million occurred in 2003, followed by a $6 million Series B round in 2006, with participation from investors including Burrill & Co., Prolog Ventures, Finistere Ventures, Harris & Harris Group, and Redmont Venture Partners.

Keywords: biopharmaceutical, therapeutic proteins, plant-made pharmaceuticals, chloroplast transformation, genetic engineering, tobacco plant technology, vaccine development, protein expression, oncology therapeutics, ovarian cancer treatment, biopharming, agricultural biotechnology, venture capital, Henry Daniell, St. Louis biotech, deadpooled, drug development, protein purification, molecular farming, plant biotechnology