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11 of Dr. Soon-Shiong’s “Nant” Companies

September 15. 2015. 4 mins read

NantWorks is the umbrella company of Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong, whose past achievements in building successful companies has made him the wealthiest American in the healthcare industry today. Those who follow Dr. Soon-Shiong’s movements will need to pay close attention as he moves very fast. His most recent cancer immunotherapy IPO, NantKwest (NASDAQ:NK), was conjured up in a matter of months, almost before investors could notice. While NantKwest wasn’t even listed as one of the “Nant” companies on the Nantworks website, here are 11 more “Nant” companies to keep an eye on.

NantCell (no website)

DEVELOPING KNOWLEDGE to treat humanity-threatening diseases through cell-based treatments at the molecular level
Launched in January 2015 with $75 million funding from Dr. Soon-Shiong, Nantcell acquired the exclusive rights from Amgen to develop and commercialize AMG 479, a promising target for cancer therapy. AMG 479 was previously in Phase 3 trials at Amgen for pancreatic cancer but testing was halted in 2012 because interim results showed little improvements in that indication. Also, in June of this year, NantCell acquired Italian company VivaBioCell whose “GMP-in-a-box devices” are used to regenerate and repair damaged tissues and organs.

NantTronics (no website)

TRANSPORTING KNOWLEDGE across devices at the speed of thought
A cursory Google search shows a company called “Nantronics” (with one t) which does not appear to be affiliated with Nantworks. Further investigation shows a company called Tensorcom has developed a wireless chip with speeds more than 10 times faster than today’s wireless LANs. Tensorcom’s low-power, low-cost “system-on-a-chip” (SoC) technology enables blazing-fast wireless communications between mobile, PC, and TV-centric devices. Dr. Soon Shiong is Chairman of the Board and lead investor of Tensorcom. Will Tensorcom become NantTronics?

NantCloud (website under construction)

STORING KNOWLEDGE SECURELY to transport it at terabits per second, globally
NantCloud has partnered with Hewlett Packard to provide a healthcare cloud computing platform which reduces IT costs by up to 50%, and increases reliability with 100% guaranteed server uptime. Searching through LinkedIn profiles show that a small number of people are actively working at NantCloud.

NantShield (domain name not registered)

SECURING KNOWLEDGE as you live, work and play
With the domain name not even registered, it’s likely that this venture has been rolled into one of the other “Nant” companies. BlackBerry and NantHealth are working together to create the second generation of NantHealth’s HBox, a portable device that captures and transmits secure medical data between the patient, doctor, and hospital. This device is in use at over 250 hospitals. Based on the stated mission of this venture, that seems to be one on of the things they are working on.

NantStudio

SHARING KNOWLEDGE through entertainment and storytelling
This 17,000 square foot venue located in Culver City is said to be “the only next-generation soundstage easily configurable to both traditional and virtual production with a pre-lit 360° green screen and compatible with real-time compositing”. It has apparently been used by HBO, National Geographic, the Food Network, and even for the creation of a music video.

NantBioscience (no website)

DISCOVERING KNOWLEDGE at the protein level to develop drugs in pursuit of personalized medicine
Funded in May of 2015 with $100 million from Dr. Soon-Shiong, the Company also received $75 million from Celgen as an upfront option fee and equity investment. NantBioscience has licensed the nab® (nanoparticle albumin-bound) technology platform from Celgene to develop two cancer-fighting compounds. In July 2015, NantBioscience also established a joint venture with Sorrento to focus on the development of ‘first-in-class’ small molecules against targets that have eluded the pharmaceutical industry to date.

NantOmics (no website)

SEQUENCING KNOWLEDGE at the molecular level in real-time from the patient to the cell to the DNA to the protein to the atom to the drug
Unveiled in January 2014, NantOmics is a next-generation comprehensive genomic and proteomic diagnostic tool for personalized medicine. To date over 16,000 cancers and germline genomes have been analyzed, including over 600 whole cancer genomes, across more than 20 solid tumor types in more than 6,000 unique patients. Just last week, NantOmics completed the acquisition of OncoPlex Diagnostics, an accredited clinical laboratory focused on testing tumor cell proteins using mass spectrometry analysis.

NantMobile

ACCESSING KNOWLEDGE through mobile devices to inform intent at the point of action
Founeded in 2013, Dr. Soon-Shiong has invested $110 million into this venture so far to develop a mobile, multi-sensory recognition technology, covered by 50 issued patents, which enables consumers to browse the physical world and unlock digital content. This technology will allow consumers to discover, act and transact with their favorite brands, retail and media outlets like never before. How this will be integrated into his healthcare platform is unknown, but possibilities abound.

NantHealth

CONNECTING KNOWLEDGE at a global scale from home to clinic to hospital to benefit a single patient and the whole of humanity
NanthHealth’s services and solutions are found in over 80% of U.S. oncology practices and have been involved in over 10,000 clinical trials. The Company has developed an entire ecosystem that promises to revolutionize the U.S. healthcare system. In July of 2015, NantHealth completed the acquisition of Harris Corporation’s (NYSE:HRS) commercial Healthcare Solutions business, a clinical collaboration suite used by 100,000 clinicians worldwide. You can read more about Nanthealth in our previous articles here and here.

NantPharma

This Company is not listed on the NantWorks website
NantPharma specializes in the development and manufacturing of superior quality, injectable pharmaceuticals. In May 2015 they acquired the rights to Cynviloq (a paclitaxel nanoparticle polymeric micelle) from Sorrento for a $90 million up-front payment and $1.2 billion+ milestone payments. NantPharma is also currently manufacturing and marketing crude heparin in a concentrated form, processed from pig intestines collected exclusively from slaughterhouses in the United States and Europe.

NantiBody (domain name not registered)

This Company is not listed on the NantWorks website
NantiBody is a collaboration with Sorrento that was announced in December 2014. The venture will develop a Phase III antibody from NantCell and a portfolio of pre-clinical immune-modulating, immuno-oncology and bispecific antibodies as well as ADCs from Sorrento. NantiBody was funded with $100 million from Dr. Soon-Shiong and Sorrento. As the domain name is not registered, the name will most likely be attributed to the venture as opposed to a company itself.

Dr. Soon-Shiong has been quoted by various media outlets recently as saying he believes a NantHealth IPO will take place before the end of this year.

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  1. Here is my ideas for Nant:
    NantSatellite, NantWave, Nantmmic, NantRF, NantIoT, NantCellular, NantWiFi, NantiMars, NantRadar,
    NantWiGig, NantLink, NantFIOS, NantmmWave, NantRFIC, NantVSWR, NantIsolator, NantCoupler,
    NantPA, NantRFeIC, Nantransceiver, NantP2P, NantWimax, NantSolar, NantNFC, NantRFID, NantSatcom,
    NantCDMA, NantZigBee, NantBluetooth, Nantwireless, NantSilicon, NantSoC, NantCSP, NantCommunication,
    Nantesla, NantPower, NantNFC, Nantcom, Nantech, NantVision, Nantcube, Nantcapsule, NantSensor,
    Nantvenus, NantLinear, NantCirculator, NantBerry, Nantelligent, Nantelecom, NantRadio, Nantmolecular, NantDNA, NantOmega, NantVitamin, NantAlpha, NantDelta, NantWatt, Nantgiga, NantLab, Nantele, Nantsoft, NantSat, NantDevice, Nantube, Nantel, Nantorganic, Nantcure, Nantsys, Nantweb, Nantspirit.NantSpectrum, Nantransform. Nantcare. Nant5G.

    1. That’s NantFabulous Lisette!

      NANT is actually short for Nantan which is an Apache/Native American name meaning “he who speaks for the people”. Bit of trivia there for you.

      1. Thanks Nanalyze Nantalent! Excellent and perfect for philanthropist to speak for people,
        My miniature world of designing wireless semiconductor devices also tells me
        Nant = Nano Technology.
        My first volume production chip RFX2401C is used in Motorola MBP335 wireless baby monitor,
        We are specialized in nano-meter CMOS fully integrated mobile phone front end circuits & modules. Working with our CTO together we have 10s of new unique ideas!
        IoT+Medicare = NantMeditech