FOUNDING OF IC:

Several forces helped found IC in 1999-2000. The first was the desire of a consortium of Physicians and scientists to create a for-profit successor to the nonprofit Interthyr Research Foundation (IRF), which they had established while working together at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in Bethesda, MD. In the early 1980s, they had developed a thyroid cell line (FRTL-5 cells) and an assay to measure functional thyroid stimulating autoantibodies in Graves' patients. They were surprised when they were required to patent both by the NIH. They created the nonprofit IRF, at the suggestion of lawyers at the NIH, and, also at the lawyer's suggestion, commercialized the assay, licensed it to several companies, and generated funds which could be used by IRF to support endocrine research. IRF was a nonprofit entity because of the NIH links of all the inventors and the fact development was at the NIH. Although the patents expired by 1999, the group was hooked on developing assays for the betterment of patients and desired to create and commercialize a second generation assay; however, to support this development they had to create a for profit company to sell or license the new assay, since all members no longer were NIH employees. The Interthyr Corporation was established in 1999 by 3 physician scientists of IRF, Drs. William Valente, Saverio Ambesi-Impiombato and Leonard D. Kohn, together with John Bundock, Esq., the IRF secretary. It was established as part of a Senior Scientist Technology Action Fund Grant to Dr. Kohn when he moved from the National Institutes of Health to Ohio University.

Second, was that one of the consortium members, Dr. Leonard Kohn, who had worked at the National Institute of Diabetes, Digestive, and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) in the NIH for 36 years, was eyeing retirement. At the NIH, his work had shifted from studies focused on the underlying mechanisms and treatment of Graves' disease to those affecting autoimmune disease in general and specifically the role of abnormal Major Histocompatibility Complex Class I (MHC I) gene expression in non-immune cells. In lieu of a Graves' disease animal model (that he subsequently helped develop), he had become involved with studies adapting a Graves’ drug, methimazole (MMI), as an immunosuppressant of MHC I in systemic Lupus Erythematosus together with Dinah Singer and Edna Mozes ,who worked in the National Cancer Institute. The primary action of MMI was believed to be inhibition of thyroid hormone formation. This work led to a collaboration with John Rice, then of Sentron, Inc., Cincinnatti, OH, with whom he worked under a CRADA (Cooperative Research and Development Arrangement) to try to develop a better drug than MMI to limit autoimmune responses in transplant patients, where abnormal MHC Class I was a major player, but one without the ability to inhibit thyroid hormone formation. Based on several patents for diagnostic bioassays for abnormal MHC I expression in non-immune calls, a potential drug was found. The expense and process of future development required, however, a start-up company to undertake risks of development leading to a useful, new drug.

Third, an opportunity to move the diagnostics and therapeutics development to the Edison Biotechnology Institute (EBI) at Ohio University (OU) and to the Ohio University College of Osteopathic Medicine (OUCOM) in Athens, OH, as well as collaborate with Scientists at Diagnostic Hybrids, Inc. (DHI) in the commercial development of the diagnostics, walked into Dr. Kohn's office at the NIH in 1999, in the bodies of Dr. David Scholl and James Brown of DHI. At the same time, an association with the Ohio University College of Osteopathic Medicine (OUCOM) provided an opportunity to apply Dr. Kohn's past training as a physician and for Dr. Kohn and IC to do something important for diabetes patients in Southeast Ohio, an Appalachian area with 2 to 3 times the national incidence of Type 2 diabetes. At the urging of his IRF colleagues, he retired from the NIH and established a laboratory and research group at Edison Biotechnology Institute (EBI) at Ohio University (OU). With the aid of a Technology Action Fund Grant as a Distinguished Senior Scientist from the State of OH, Dr. Kohn threw his hat into the entrepreneurial world as President of the Interthyr Research Corporation (IC).

EVOLUTION OF IC: In 2008 Dr. Kohn moved his research from EBI to the Innovation Center of Ohio University (OU). In this short time at OU, he and IC members contributed significantly to the success of the Ohio University Program and the clinical environment for diabetics as well as fostering product development. His studies on cell adhesion and atherosclerosis with Prof. Douglas Goetz led to the development of the Bioengineering Program at OU and major grants funding a new Research and Teaching Building to house that research program and the diabetes research program developing in OUCOM. With Drs. Frank Schwartz and Mitchell Silver, he contributed to the establishment of a new Diabetes and Cardiovascular Clinical Center in OUCOM. This institute is now recognized as a major role model for superior cardiovascular care in the Appalachia area by the State of OH.