CellMark aims to help nourish cancer patients receiving chemo

A new Fort Myers business is preparing to launch two new "nutraceutical" products to help people as they fight cancer.

CellMark Biopharma was founded by Derek Vest, whose background is in the pharmaceuticals industry, particularly in non-prescription designer drugs, as well as in health and nutrition.

CellAssure and Cognify are the firm's first products, which will be available at cellmarkbiopharma.com in a few weeks.

Both are medical nutritional supplements, with Cognify designed for cognitive enhancement. A 30-day supply of CellAssure will sell for $248, with Cognify selling for $69 a month. CellMark, which also has an office in the United Kingdom, is manufacturing the products in New York.

“This is to give the patient everything they need nutritionally to fuel their fight against cancer,” Vest said. “Part of the goal is to prevent patients from getting cachexia.”

Cachexia, an issue for cancer patients, is defined as weakness and wasting of the body because of severe chronic illness. Twenty to 40 percent of cancer patients die of malnutrition, according to Vest, citing various studies.

“People don’t have alternatives other than to turn to protein-laced supplement drinks which are probably doing more harm than good,” said Craig Pisaris-Henderson, a Fort Myers native who joined CellMark as chief operating officer. "There is an absence in the marketplace. There is an unmet need."

Vest and Pisaris-Henderson spoke to a reporter recently at CellMark's offices in Fort Myers.

For Vest and others there, the fight is personal. Cancer cachexia killed Vest's brother last year. In the end, the once athletic man who stood over 6 feet tall weighed less than 120 pounds.

"There’s a high level of motivation here," Vest said. "We can help millions of people. It’s unforgivable that someone in this country should die of malnutrition."

Dr. Stan Headley, the firm's medical director, lost his wife to cancer cachexia four years ago: "We all have a motivation for wanting to do this. It makes it very special."

Vest explained the body of a cancer patient is going through many metabolic changes, akin to what the body endures when training for a marathon.

"Cancer patients need some seriously advanced medical nutrition," he said.

Longtime readers may know the Pisaris-Henderson name. He founded Fort Myers-based FindWhat.com, an online marketing firm, in the 1990s. The firm eventually was rebranded as MIVA, after a series of acquisitions.

Pisaris-Henderson pointed out one difference between the two ventures: "We were creating a market with FindWhat," he said. "With CellMark, we are meeting a huge market need."

CellMark employs 14 in Fort Myers, a number that is expected to increase soon as the company's products start to hit the market.

"We have a pretty healthy growth rate in front of us," Pisaris-Henderson said.

The firm has many other products in various stages of development, Vest said, including a product for people suffering effects of concussions and those battling post traumatic stress disorder.

A new era is upon us, he said, as the medical and technological worlds meet: "The technology's really there."

The technology expertise is what Pisaris-Henderson brings, along withbackground in intellectual property.

On day of diagnosis, people want to look at all options to determine next steps, both said, with 87 percent of people diagnosed with cancer looking for alternative supplementation products that can help them.

"We’ve been able to extract a large amount of data, understanding how people are looking for these things," Pisaris-Henderson said. "We see what they’re searching for. We’re targeting the online marketplace."

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