In 1993, Dr. McMichael, an immunologist and virologist, founded Milkhaus Laboratory, Inc. (MLI), a for-profit biopharmaceutical company specializing in low-dosage medicines which produce placebo-level adverse effects. MLI completed successful FDA-authorized clinical evaluations of products for the treatment of respiratory, urologic, and oncologic disorders. In great measure, this success can be attributed to Dr. McMichael's network which allows for the unusually efficient discovery and evaluation of potential new therapeutic and nutraceutical products. Built over decades, the expertise of this multi-disciplinary team is evidenced by a growing portfolio of more than 100 issued patents and twice that number of patents pending worldwide, most of which MLI has assigned to Beech Tree Labs, and which are in addition to BTL's own portfolio.
Characterizing the success of this approach, MLI's patent position led to a licensing agreement with Elan Corporation, plc, a multi-national pharmaceutical company. Under that agreement, Elan obtained rights to MLI's intellectual property relating to the treatment of Alzheimer's Disease. Elan then embodied that technology in FDA-authorized clinical trials which are in progress. Early results have appeared in the scientific and popular presses.
Reflecting the degree of diversity of Dr. McMichael's inventions, in late 2002 MLI spun off its veterinary subsidiary to form an independent corporation, Milkhaus Veterinary Products, Inc. (MVI). Using the approach described above, MVI completed a successful USDA-authorized evaluation of its product LDI-100 for the treatment of mast cell tumors in dogs. MVI has also conducted trials for the treatment of kennel cough in dogs and cats, heaves (respiratory distress) in horses, reproductive disorders in horses, and connective tissue disorders in horses and dogs. License discussions are in progress.
Building on this success, Beech Tree Labs is positioned to enable discovery and early-stage development of potential therapeutic and nutraceutical agents which can then be licensed to appropriate company partners who complete the required clinical and regulatory work in order to bring products to market.