Torigen

Torigen Pharmaceuticals operates in the veterinary therapeutics market, focusing on personalized cancer treatments for companion animals. The company was co-founded by CEO Ashley Kalinauskas and Dr. Mark Suckow, stemming from Kalinauskas's graduate thesis project at the University of Notre Dame. Kalinauskas earned an undergraduate degree in Pathobiology from the University of Connecticut in 2012 and a master's in Engineering, Science, and Technology Entrepreneurship from Notre Dame in 2013, providing a foundation to commercialize scientific research. The company's core technology is based on the research of Dr. Suckow, a veterinarian with extensive experience in cancer models and vaccines.

The business model centers on providing an experimental autologous cancer vaccine, known as VetiVax, directly to veterinarians. The process involves a veterinarian surgically removing a pet's tumor and sending the fresh or frozen tissue to Torigen's lab in Farmington, Connecticut. Torigen's team then creates a personalized vaccine from the patient's own deactivated tumor cells, combined with a proprietary adjuvant to stimulate the immune system. This treatment is administered by the veterinarian in three subcutaneous injections over three weeks. This approach serves as a less expensive alternative to conventional treatments like chemotherapy and radiation. Revenue is generated from the production of these personalized vaccines for its client base of veterinary clinics. Initially, the company considered a kit for in-clinic vaccine production but pivoted to a centralized manufacturing model to ensure quality control.

Torigen's primary product is a personalized prescription immunotherapy that uses a patient's own tumor tissue to create a vaccine. This whole-tumor approach includes a wide array of tumor-associated antigens specific to the individual animal, creating a unique antigenic "fingerprint" to help the patient's immune system target and fight the cancer. The service is available for most solid tumors in species including dogs, cats, and horses. Beyond its core vaccine, Torigen has expanded its services to include the Torigen Specialty Pathology Service, which leverages digital pathology to provide rapid and precise diagnoses, bridging the gap between diagnostics and treatment. The company is also exploring new technologies to address other immune-mediated diseases in animals, such as atopic dermatitis.

Keywords: veterinary oncology, animal cancer treatment, autologous cancer vaccine, pet immunotherapy, Torigen Pharmaceuticals, companion animal health, VetiVax, veterinary therapeutics, personalized veterinary medicine, animal cancer diagnostics, canine cancer, feline cancer, equine oncology, Ashley Kalinauskas, Mark Suckow, tumor vaccine, pet biotech, veterinary pathology, animal immune-mediated disease, dog cancer treatment