Founded in the mid-nineties, in July 1999, Peptimmune Inc. was acquired by Genzyme - a major player in the SBIR arena. Peptimmune Inc. had been organized around development of biopharmaceutical products that c/would arrest autoimmune disease before the could cause significant tissue damage. With a particular focus on the rare skin disease pemphigus vulgaris, Genzyme later spun-out Peptimmune in 2002. Genzyme provided initial capitalization of Peptimmune by purchasing $5.5 million in shares of preferred stock. The new company eas intended to focus on developing specific immunotherapies for treating autoimmune and allergic diseases. It is reported that in 2011, the firm was liquidated.