BlueTree Venture Fund, a Pittsburgh-based venture capital firm recently invested in Gemmus Pharma, a San Francisco-based company focused on the innovative development of pharmaceuticals for influenza and other viral infectious diseases.

Founded in 2007, Gemmus is a privately held biotechnology company that uses a host-directed approach and is committed to developing “best in class” products to meet major medical needs. They target the underlying causes of debilitating symptoms associated with influenza and similar illnesses by regulated the body’s natural response to the disease.

Gemmus is a member of the QB3 network (California Institute for Quantitative Biosciences), a Biotech incubator firm. They have also applied and received a SBIR(NIH) and a QTDP competitive grant. Most recently, Gemmus made plans to file an investigational new drug application targeting influenza symptoms with the FDA.

Gemmus’ lead candidate is GP1681. It plays a role in the anti-inflammatory response and has been shown to reduce the release of pro-inflammatory cytokines and chemokines from activated white blood cells. Studies for GP1681 have been conducted at Utah State University as a part of their National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease program. They have used both H5N1 and H1N1 strains to study the effects of the medicine.

To learn more about Gemmus Pharma, visit their website.