Dr. Joan Fallon: Autism Cures
Founder and CEO, Curemark
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/pub/dr-joan-fallon/2/a56/298
Twitter: @CuremarkCEO
Bio:
CEO and Founder of Curemark, a biotech company focused on developing drugs for high, unmet medical needs. Dr. Fallon has taken observations from clinical practice and created a biotech company to create and produce a treatment for children with Autism.
Innovating in Field of Work:
• Curemark has developed a drug treatment for autism based on a patient centered model. Dr. Fallon took observations from clinical practice to develop a drug that addresses the needs of the patient. This stands in contrast the traditional model here small molecule discovery is retrofitted into a disease paradigm.
• The treatment under development is a replacement enzyme that targets the GI tract. The fact that a GI targeted drug could affect the brain and change behavior is a major disruption to the traditional medical model.
Impact:
• With no venture funding in Autism drugs, and a dearth of information on causality, Curemark needed to raise funds from non-traditional sources. It has raised almost $80M through major angel funding and interested and in the later round a committed hedge fund. The angels have participated in all funding rounds.
• The company is also focusing on many other unmet neurological needs as well, and recently got it’s phase three clinical trial through the FDA. Now the company is initiating this trial at 20 centers of excellence for Autism throughout the United States.
Role Model:
• Women have been Dr. Fallon’s lead consultants, mastermind partners, and people that she invests in. Joan donates her time, money and energy to other women businesswomen, entrepreneurs, and young women trying to find their niche and way in the world. She’s found unbelievable mentors and role models in her own life, and strives to be one to other young women.
• Dr. Fallon is involved with Springboard Enterprises, a not-for profit that helps women entrepreneurs obtain funding for their start-up companies. Empowering other women is a deep passion.
Reinvention / Risk / Momentum:
• Professionally, Dr. Fallon quit a 25-year-old pediatric practice to start Curemark.
• Personally, she has attended the Yankee fantasy camp for three years where she is the lone woman. She is continually changing minds about the abilities of women both on the field and in the boardroom.
“Joan Fallon is blazing a trail where many didn’t even think there was [one].”