Ventyx Biosciences is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on advancing new therapies for millions of patients living with inflammatory diseases and autoimmune disorders. Ventyx’s clinical stage pipeline includes VTX958, a Phase 1 allosteric TYK2 inhibitor for the treatment of a broad range of autoimmune diseases, VTX002, a Phase 2-ready S1P1 receptor modulator for the treatment of ulcerative colitis, and VTX2735, a Phase 1 peripheral inhibitor of the NLRP3 inflammasome, which is a mediator of multiple inflammatory conditions.
AlloVir focuses on the development of cell therapies and focuses on restoring natural immunity against the virus-associated diseases. It provides an ideal environment for ViraCyte to develop and advance its product pipeline from discovery through late-stage clinical trials.
Gossamer Bio is a San Diego-based company focused on the discovery and development of novel and differentiated therapeutic products, to address high unmet needs amongst various targeted patient populations. Founded by the former Receptos executive team, Gossamer Bio’s strategy will be to leverage an asset-rich in-licensing environment, with a focus on areas of high unmet need, utilizing a team with a strong track record of execution in immunology, inflammation, fibrosis and oncology.
Tempest Therapeutics is a biotechnology company that focuses on small molecule therapeutics that modulate anti-tumor immunity pathways. The company has a balanced and deep pipeline consisting of first-in-class and best-in-class small molecule therapeutics, which modulate distinct pathways relevant to mounting an effective anti-tumor response. Tempest Therapeutics was established in 2011 and is headquartered in San Francisco, California.
22seventy bio is an immuno-oncology cell therapy company that discovers and develops cancer therapies. The company combines a deep knowledge of cancer cell biology and genetics with an understanding of the immune response to cancer to advance its pipeline. It was established in Cambridge, Massachusetts in 2021.
Dewpoint Therapeutics is a biotech company developing a drug platform that targets biomolecular condensates. Its technology uses machine-learning-based image analysis tools for visualizing condensates and offers an engine for genetically linked condensatopathy which is a collection of engineered cell lines with trackable condensates to prevent harmful protein sequestration, helping healthcare providers to have access to new therapies to address unmet needs. The company was founded in 2018 and is headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts.
Pardes Biosciences is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company created by and for this moment to help solve pandemic-sized problems, starting with COVID-19. We are applying modern reversible-covalent chemistry as a starting point to discover and develop novel oral drug candidates while reimagining the patient journey to access these medicines. The company’s lead product candidate, PBI-0451, is being developed as a direct-acting, oral antiviral drug to treat and prevent SARS-CoV-2 infections, the virus responsible for COVID-19. Pardes Biosciences is on a mission to stop a pandemic and start a movement so patients everywhere can get well sooner.
ReCode Therapeutics is a genetic medicines company that specializes in mRNA and gene correction therapeutics. Its selective organ targeting (SORT) lipid nanoparticle (LNP) platform is a genetic medicines technology that enables precise delivery to target organs and cells beyond the liver. The company aims to leverage innovative technologies to provide solutions for individuals affected by genetic diseases.
Cyclerion Therapeutics is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company harnessing the power of soluble guanylate cyclase (sGC) pharmacology to discover, develop, and commercialize breakthrough treatments for serious and orphan diseases. Its focus is on enabling the full therapeutic potential of next-generation sGC stimulators. Its pipeline products include Olinciguat, Praliciguat, and others.
Ajax Therapeutics is an NYC-based biotechnology company applying computational chemistry and structure-based technologies to develop novel small molecules for hematologic malignancies
Corvus Pharmaceuticals is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on the development of novel, first-in-class agents that target the immune system to treat patients with cancer. With accomplished and talented scientists, and top-tier investors, we are well positioned in an exciting new era of immuno-oncology.
Janux Therapeutics develops immunotherapies that generate immune responses to prevent tumors and not affecting a patient’s healthy tissue. Janux technology targets all three stages of the anti-tumor immune response.
Tectonic is a privately held biotechnology company that aims to transform the discovery of novel GPCR-targeted drugs and unlock the therapeutic utility the most challenging receptors in the class. Tectonic’s founders are at the forefront of scientific research in biochemistry and molecular pharmacology with an extensive track record of entrepreneurial achievement.
Aktis Oncology is a biotechnology company pioneering the discovery and development of a new class of targeted radiopharmaceuticals to treat a broad range of solid tumor cancers. Founded and incubated by MPM Capital, the company has developed proprietary platforms to generate tumor-targeting agents with ideal properties for alpha radiotherapy. Designed for high tumor penetration and long residence time, Aktis Oncology's molecules will quickly clear other areas of the body, thereby maximizing tumor elimination while minimizing the side effects of treatment. This approach would also enable clinicians to visualize and verify target engagement prior to exposure to therapeutic radioisotopes.
Notch develops immune cell therapy developing a next-generation pipeline that is compatible and focuses on initial cancer cells. The company's proprietary T-cell production platform enables precision control of Notch signaling, which is required for T-cell development, by combining sophisticated product design with commercial-compatible processes. The ability to control notch signaling eliminates several critical limiting factors in cell therapy development and provides the ability to design and manufacture a consistent and limitless supply of therapeutic T cells. Notch Therapeutics was established in 2018 and is headquartered in Toronto, Canada.
Affinivax is a biopharmaceutical company developing vaccines used to enhance the depth of protection against infectious diseases. This novel and highly efficient vaccine conjugation technology – named MAPS for Multiple Antigen Presenting System – has the potential to deliver novel vaccines that offer broader disease coverage than existing vaccines, as well as protect against infectious diseases for which there are no effective immunization strategies today. The company is rapidly advancing a lead program targeting Streptococcus pneumoniae (pneumococcus), a pathogen that is responsible for significant morbidity and mortality in children and adults worldwide. Affinivax was established based on the knowledge and insights of world-leading experts in the fields of infectious diseases and vaccines. The company is backed by an investment from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and has an exclusive license from Boston Children’s Hospital for intellectual property related to the MAPS technology platform.
Gritstone bio develops immunotherapies for cancer and infectious diseases. They started with tumor-specific neoantigens and their programs to include viral antigens displayed on the surface of the virally infected cells. Their biological immune system recognition of targets on the surface of abnormal cells is common to anti-tumor and anti-viral immunity. With the development and commercialization of immunotherapy drugs including checkpoint inhibitors, the field of immuno-oncology is transforming the treatment of patients with cancer.
Solid Biosciences is to cure Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), a genetic muscle-wasting disease predominantly affecting boys, with symptoms that usually manifest between three and five years of age. DMD is a progressive, irreversible and ultimately fatal disease that affects approximately one in every 3,500 to 5,000 live male births and has an estimated prevalence of 10,000 to 15,000 cases in the United States alone. There is no cure for DMD and, for the vast majority of patients, there are no satisfactory symptomatic or disease-modifying treatments. Our lead product candidate, SGT-001, is a gene transfer under development to restore functional dystrophin protein expression in patients' muscles. Based on our preclinical program, we believe the mechanism of action of SGT-001 has the potential to slow or even halt the progression of DMD. In 2015, we began exclusively licensing the elements of the construct for SGT-001 and other elements of our gene transfer program from the University of Michigan, the University of Missouri and the University of Washington. SGT-001 has been granted Rare Pediatric Disease Designation in the US and Orphan Drug Designations in both the US and EU. Its safety and efficacy are currently being evaluated in a Phase I/II clinical trial.
Syros Pharmaceuticals is a life sciences company that is focused on treating disease by mapping gene regulatory circuits and modulating the factors that regulate gene expression. Syros has pioneered world-leading gene control research and drug discovery capabilities with a proven ability to integrate disease biology and genomic data--a proficiency that is not well represented in pharmaceutical R&D. Central to the Syros approach is a proprietary platform of carefully integrated assay technologies, bioinformatics, and biologic insights developed by members of Syros' senior leadership. While this scientific approach has applications in many therapeutic areas, Syros has demonstrated success initially in oncology, where it may help address numerous unmet medical needs.
Cellares develops the Cell Shuttle, to overcome the challenges associated with manufacturing so these life-saving therapies are affordable and widely available to patients who can benefit. The clinical impact of cell therapy in treating cancer has been proven, but this therapeutic approach has several limitations, especially in manufacturing, leaving extremely sick patients waiting for treatment and desperate for hope. Since cell therapy is currently produced for a single patient at a time, it is expensive to manufacture, requiring significant time and resources, and is difficult to scale. Preclinical and clinical scientists, as well as commercial cell therapy manufacturers also lack the options to fully automate their manufacturing process quickly, safely, cost-effectively, and at the scale they need. The Cell Shuttle is an automated and closed end-to-end manufacturing solution that is flexible and scalable, enabling customers to run exact processes specified for their cell therapy. Compared with the current manual manufacturing processes for cell therapy, the Cell Shuttle’s next-generation automated manufacturing solution has 10 times the scalability (meaning 10 times more patient doses can be produced simultaneously), enables a three-fold reduction in process failure rates, and will reduce the per-patient manufacturing cost by up to 70 percent for most processes.
Dewpoint Therapeutics is a biotech company developing a drug platform that targets biomolecular condensates. Its technology uses machine-learning-based image analysis tools for visualizing condensates and offers an engine for genetically linked condensatopathy which is a collection of engineered cell lines with trackable condensates to prevent harmful protein sequestration, helping healthcare providers to have access to new therapies to address unmet needs. The company was founded in 2018 and is headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts.
Silverback Therapeutics is a biopharmaceutical company that develops ImmunoTAC therapies targeting previously inaccessible disease pathways. They developing a new generation of systemically delivered, locally active therapies that potently modulate fundamental disease pathways once deemed inaccessible. Silverback Therapeutics is building a platform technology capable of unlocking potent immuno-modulatory pathways using an established antibody-guided approach for targeting disease sites. The company's proprietary ImmunoTAC technology and integrated R&D approach enables the design of product candidates that can be administered systemically, but that act only at the sites of disease.
Neogene Therapeutics provides cancer patients with T cell therapies targeting mutated proteins called neo-antigens. The company is developing novel technologies to enable the engineering of ‘designer T cells’ with neo-antigen specificities that display an optimized ability to seek and destroy cancer cells. Neogene's platform allows for the isolation of neo-antigen specific TCR genes from tumor biopsies that are routinely obtained from cancer patients during treatment. The tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TIL) obtained by these tumor biopsies frequently express TCRs specific for mutated proteins found in cancer cells (neo-antigens). The company’s proprietary technology uses state-of-the-art DNA sequencing, DNA synthesis and genetic screening tools to identify such neo-antigen specific T cell receptor genes within tumor biopsies with high sensitivity, specificity and at scale.
Eledon Pharmaceuticals, Inc. is a specialty pharmaceutical company dedicated to developing products for patients with ear, nose, and throat disorders. The company's lead product, OP0201, is a surfactant-based nasal aerosol designed for individuals at risk of or suffering from otitis media, which is inflammation of the middle ear. In addition to OP0201, Eledon has developed foam-based drug delivery technologies, OP0101 and OP0102, aimed at administering medications to the ear, nose, and sinus cavities. Founded in 2004 and initially known as Novus Therapeutics, the company rebranded in January 2021 and is headquartered in Irvine, California.
Chinook Therapeutics is a biotechnology company that specializes in the fields of therapeutics and life science. The company focuses on developing precision medicines for kidney diseases. Its services offers utilization of novel translational platforms and patient stratification tools, and emergence of accelerated regulatory pathways based on surrogate endpoints.
Alpine Immune Sciences is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical business focused on researching and developing protein-based immunotherapies to treat autoimmune and inflammatory disorders. Its strategy incorporates a patented scientific platform for transforming native immune system proteins into differentiated, multi-targeted therapies. ALPN-303, or povetacicept, is a dual antagonist of the B cell activating factor, or BAFF, and a proliferation-inducing ligand, or APRIL, cytokines, which play key roles in the activation, development, and survival of B cells, and ALPN-101, or acazicolcept, is a dual Inducible T cell Costimulator, or ICOS, and CD28 antagonist intended for the treatment of autoimmune and inflammatory diseases.
Shattuck is a clinical-stage biotechnology company advancing its proprietary Agonist Redirected Checkpoint (ARC) platform, a novel class of dual-function fusion proteins with applications in oncology and autoimmune disease. The company’s lead program, SL-279252 (PD1-Fc-OX40L), is being studied in a Phase I trial in collaboration with Takeda Pharmaceuticals. Its technology focuses on immuno-oncology research targeted towards patients with many cancer types, including melanoma, lung, and bladder, by endowing one molecule with multiple functions, with applicability across the entire spectrum of human disease that enables medical researchers to find a quick and painless detection of malignancy for later-stage cancer patients.
Fulcrum Therapeutics is a biotechnology company that develops new medicines to treat patients with rare genetic diseases. The company develops a proprietary product engine that is employed to identify and validate cellular drug targets that can modulate gene expression. Its product candidate, losmapimod, is a small molecule that was developed for the treatment of FSHD, a muscle-wasting disorder that leads to physical impairment and disability. It is focused on improving the lives of patients with genetically defined diseases in areas of high unmet medical need, with an initial focus on rare diseases. Founded in 2016, the company is based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States.
Private Equity Round in 2020
Surface Oncology was created to advance next-generation approaches to cancer immunotherapy based on proprietary insights about novel immunotherapy targets and emerging areas of cancer immuno-biology. Together with world-leading scientific founders, the Company is advancing multiple preclinical programs that target novel mechanisms shown to play vital roles in tumor immune evasion.
Accent Therapeutics is a biopharmaceutical company developing oncology-focused, small molecule therapies in the emerging field of epitranscriptomics. This field of biology encompasses post-transcriptional chemical modifications of RNA that provide cells with a unique mechanism for regulating proteins critical for cellular growth and differentiation. By targeting cancer-linked RNA-modifying proteins (RMPs) with precision therapies, they aim to translate extraordinary science into life-changing therapies for patients.
ElevateBio is an operator of a portfolio of cell and gene therapy companies intended to develop, manufacture, and commercialize life-transforming medicines. The company creates a portfolio through partnerships with the world's innovative scientists and inventors as well as it created a centralized facility that integrates all the elements that translate cell and gene therapy R&D into commercially viable therapies quickly and efficiently, enabling patients to get medical products to treat severe diseases. Vikas Sinha, Mitchell Finer, and David Hallal co-founded ElevateBio in Cambridge, Massachusetts in 2017.
Nurix Therapeutics is a biopharmaceutical company focused on the discovery, development, and commercialization of small molecule therapies designed to modulate cellular protein levels as a novel treatment approach for cancer and other challenging diseases. Leveraging Nurix’s extensive expertise in E3 ligases together with its proprietary DNA-encoded libraries, Nurix has built DELigase, an integrated discovery platform to identify and advance novel drug candidates targeting E3 ligases, a broad class of enzymes that can modulate proteins within the cell. Nurix’s drug discovery approach is to either harness or inhibit the natural function of E3 ligases within the ubiquitin proteasome system to selectively decrease or increase cellular protein levels. Nurix’s wholly owned pipeline includes targeted protein degraders of Bruton’s tyrosine kinase, a B-cell signaling protein, and inhibitors of Casitas B-lineage lymphoma proto-oncogene B, an E3 ligase that regulates T cell activation.
Pieris Pharmaceuticals, Inc. is a, clinical-stage biotechnology company applying its proprietary Anticalin® technology to create differentiated drugs that can help patients suffering from cancer, severe asthma, anemia and other medical conditions with a high unmet medical need. Anticalins are recombinantly engineered versions of lipocalins, human proteins that naturally bind, store and transport a wide spectrum of molecules. Our libraries of more than 100 billion different Anticalins can virtually bind to any target of interest.
AlloVir focuses on the development of cell therapies and focuses on restoring natural immunity against the virus-associated diseases. It provides an ideal environment for ViraCyte to develop and advance its product pipeline from discovery through late-stage clinical trials.
ElevateBio is an operator of a portfolio of cell and gene therapy companies intended to develop, manufacture, and commercialize life-transforming medicines. The company creates a portfolio through partnerships with the world's innovative scientists and inventors as well as it created a centralized facility that integrates all the elements that translate cell and gene therapy R&D into commercially viable therapies quickly and efficiently, enabling patients to get medical products to treat severe diseases. Vikas Sinha, Mitchell Finer, and David Hallal co-founded ElevateBio in Cambridge, Massachusetts in 2017.
Prevail Therapeutics is a biotechnology company focused on developing novel gene therapies for patients with Parkinson’s disease and other neurodegenerative diseases. Prevail was launched in 2017 by The Silverstein Foundation for Parkinson’s with GBA, REGENXBIO, and OrbiMed, and is headquartered in New York, NY.
Ashvattha Therapeutics creates products that selectively target and treat human diseases. Ashvattha enables precision targeting for therapeutics eliminating off-target toxicity, systemic side effects, and immunogenicity seen in other platforms. Ashvattha has a pipeline of nine therapeutics in neurology, oncology, and ophthalmology.
A peloton is a team of bicyclists who achieve great efficiency of motion through cooperative action. It is also the root of platoon, a nimble military unit with capabilities that exceed the sum of its component parts. Founded by Chairman of Biochemistry Steven L. McKnight of UT Southwestern Medical Center, Peloton Therapeutics represents a unique combination of innovative science, strong financial support from the Cancer Prevention Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT), and seasoned investors and management. Working in close collaboration with scientists at UT Southwestern, Peloton is advancing a promising discovery and development pipeline, comprised of several small molecule-based programs, each with a distinct target and mechanism of action. Peloton's vision is to become a major biotech company in Dallas with a passion for discovering and developing novel cancer drugs.
Neurogene is a developer of generic medicines intended to improve patient outcomes for neurological disorders.The company's offerings include advancing genetic medicines for many neurological disorders where no effective treatment options exist, providing patients and families affected by rare neurological disorders with gene therapy that improves quality of life.
Dewpoint Therapeutics is a biotech company developing a drug platform that targets biomolecular condensates. Its technology uses machine-learning-based image analysis tools for visualizing condensates and offers an engine for genetically linked condensatopathy which is a collection of engineered cell lines with trackable condensates to prevent harmful protein sequestration, helping healthcare providers to have access to new therapies to address unmet needs. The company was founded in 2018 and is headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts.
Relay therapeutics is a developer of an allosteric drug-discovery platform intended to apply computational techniques to protein motion.The company's platform detects and characterizes interactions that occur anywhere on a protein and combines computational methods with experimental approaches across the fields of structural biology, biophysics and chemistry, enabling pharmaceutical companies to solve and design therapies against complex diseases like cancer and others.
Avidity Biosciences, Inc. is pioneering a new class of oligonucleotide-based therapies called AOCs designed to overcome the current limitations of oligonucleotide therapies in order to treat a wide range of serious diseases. Avidity utilizes its proprietary AOC platform to design, engineer and develop therapeutics that combine the tissue selectivity of monoclonal antibodies and the precision of oligonucleotide therapies in order to access previously undruggable tissue and cell types and more effectively target underlying genetic drivers of diseases. Avidity's lead product candidate, AOC 1001, is designed to treat myotonic dystrophy type 1, and its four other muscle programs are focused on the treatment of muscle atrophy, Duchenne muscular dystrophy, facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy and Pompe disease. In addition to its muscle franchise, Avidity has development efforts focused on immune and other cell types.
Morphic Therapeutic is a biotechnology company that develops oral integrin therapies to treat serious chronic diseases, including autoimmune, cardiovascular, and metabolic diseases, fibrosis, and cancer. The company offers the development of therapies for patients with immunological, fibrotic, neoplastic, and vascular diseases, focusing on creating small molecule inhibitors of various integrin targets.
Atreca is a biopharmaceutical that develops a technology to identify the set of antibodies produced during an immune response, without prior knowledge of an antigen. Its product candidate, ATRC-101, is a monoclonal antibody in preclinical development with a novel mechanism of action and target-derived from an antibody identified using its discovery platform.
Accent Therapeutics is a biopharmaceutical company developing oncology-focused, small molecule therapies in the emerging field of epitranscriptomics. This field of biology encompasses post-transcriptional chemical modifications of RNA that provide cells with a unique mechanism for regulating proteins critical for cellular growth and differentiation. By targeting cancer-linked RNA-modifying proteins (RMPs) with precision therapies, they aim to translate extraordinary science into life-changing therapies for patients.
Magenta is focused on improving the patient experience in transplant medicine, with the goal of bringing this lifesaving procedure to more patients. Over the past 50 years, stem cell transplantation has been used in more than 1M patients worldwide. It is currently the only treatment with the potential to cure some of the most devastating hematologic cancers and autoimmune diseases. Despite the increased use and clinical advancements over the past several decades, stem cell transplant remains a high-risk last-resort therapeutic option due to the toxicity and potential long-term side effects.
Omniox is a biopharmaceutical company developing new medicines for hypoxic diseases. Hypoxia, defined as insufficient levels of oxygen in tissues, is known to trigger or impact a range of serious illnesses and conditions including many cancers, cardiovascular diseases, and trauma. At the center of Omniox’ work is a protein-based platform technology (H-NOX), that is engineered to reverse hypoxic disease states by delivering oxygen or nitric oxide preferentially to hypoxic tissues.
Unity Biotechnology designs therapeutics that prevent, halt, and reverse various diseases of aging. The company focuses on clearing senescent cells; and designs senolytic medicines. Its medicines target vulnerabilities unique to senescent cells to clear those cells from the human body while leaving normal cells unaffected.
Prevail Therapeutics is a biotechnology company focused on developing novel gene therapies for patients with Parkinson’s disease and other neurodegenerative diseases. Prevail was launched in 2017 by The Silverstein Foundation for Parkinson’s with GBA, REGENXBIO, and OrbiMed, and is headquartered in New York, NY.
Scholar Rock is a biopharmaceutical company focused on the discovery and development of innovative medicines for the treatment of serious diseases in which signaling by protein growth factors plays a fundamental role. The company's newly elucidated understanding of the molecular mechanisms of growth factor activation enabled us to develop a proprietary platform for the discovery and development of monoclonal antibodies that locally and selectively target these signaling proteins at the cellular level. They believe this approach, acting in the disease microenvironment, avoids the historical challenges associated with inhibiting growth factors for therapeutic effect. We believe our focus on biologically validated growth factors may facilitate a more efficient development path. The company is advancing its lead product candidate, SRK-015, a selective first-in-class inhibitor of the activation of the growth factor myostatin in skeletal muscle, into clinical development for the treatment of spinal muscular atrophy, or SMA. They expect to initiate a Phase 1 clinical trial in the second quarter of 2018. Utilizing its proprietary platform, they are also creating a pipeline of novel product candidates with the potential to transform the lives of patients suffering from a wide range of serious diseases, including other neuromuscular disorders, cancer, fibrosis, and anemia.
Relay therapeutics is a developer of an allosteric drug-discovery platform intended to apply computational techniques to protein motion.The company's platform detects and characterizes interactions that occur anywhere on a protein and combines computational methods with experimental approaches across the fields of structural biology, biophysics and chemistry, enabling pharmaceutical companies to solve and design therapies against complex diseases like cancer and others.
Codiak is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on pioneering the development of exosome-based therapeutics, a new class of medicines with the potential to transform the treatment of a wide spectrum of diseases with high unmet medical need. By leveraging the biology of exosomes as natural intercellular transfer mechanisms, Codiak has developed its proprietary engEx Platform to expand upon the innate properties of exosomes to design, engineer and manufacture novel exosome therapeutic candidates. Codiak has utilized its engEx Platform to generate a deep pipeline of engineered exosomes aimed at treating a broad range of disease areas, spanning oncology, neuro-oncology, neurology, neuromuscular disease and infectious disease.
Arcus Biosciences is an oncology-focused clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company that discovers, develops, and commercializes novel therapies for the treatment of cancer. It aims to create new cancer therapeutics through the utilization of emerging insights in immunology. The company has four molecules in clinical development: Etrumadenant (AB928), the first dual A2a/A2b adenosine receptor antagonist to enter the clinic, is being evaluated in multiple Phase 2 and 1b studies across different indications, including prostate, colorectal, non-small cell lung, pancreatic and triple-negative breast cancers. AB680, the first small-molecule CD73 inhibitor to enter the clinic, is in Phase 1/1b development for first-line treatment of metastatic pancreatic cancer in combination with zimberelimab and gemcitabine/nab-paclitaxel. Domvanalimab (AB154), an anti-TIGIT monoclonal antibody and new potential immuno-oncology backbone therapy, is in a three-arm randomized Phase 2 study for first-line treatment of PD-L1-high metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) evaluating zimberelimab monotherapy, domvanalimab with zimberelimab and domvanalimab plus AB928 with zimberelimab. AB308, an anti-TIGIT antibody that is FcR enabled, is advancing into clinical development to investigate additional indications, with a focus on hematological malignancies. Zimberelimab (AB122), Arcus’s anti-PD-1 monoclonal antibody, was in-licensed to enable the development of Arcus’s combination regimens and is being evaluated in various combinations across the portfolio. Arcus was formed in 2015 in Hayward, California by Terry Rosen and Juan Jaen.
aTyr Pharma is a biotherapeutics company that discovers and develops protein biologics for human therapeutics. The company has established a dominant intellectual property estate surrounding Physiocrine-based compositions and potential therapeutic applications. aTyr’s key programs are focused on immunomodulation disorders in the areas of inflammation and immunity and are in preclinical development. The company's primary focus is ATYR1923, a clinical-stage product candidate which binds to the neuropilin-2 receptor and is designed to down-regulate immune engagement in interstitial lung diseases. The privately held biotech was founded by The Scripps Research Institute Professor Paul Schimmel, a leading aminoacyl tRNA synthetase scientist, and is backed by top life sciences investors Alta Partners, Cardinal Partners, Domain Associates and Polaris Ventures.
Kezar Life Sciences company focused on the discovery and development of drugs targeting protein homeostasis for autoimmune disorders. In parallel with this work, Christopher and Kezar co-founder Jack Taunton, Ph.D. collaborated on several research projects involving protein secretion. This collaboration inspired a belief in the strong synergies between protein degradation and protein secretion, two fertile areas for drug discovery with platform potential.
Dicerna Pharmaceuticals is a biotechnology company involved in the discovery and development of innovative treatments for rare inherited diseases affecting the liver, along with cancers, and other therapeutic areas to address liver problems. It is using ribonucleic acid interference (RNA) technology platform to develop its products. The product candidates are DCR-PHXC (for primary hyperoxaluria), DCR-undisclosed (for orphan genetic disease), DCR-PCSK9 (for cardiovascular disease), and DCR-HBV (for hepatitis B virus) among others. The company was founded in 2007 and is headquartered in Lexington, Massachusetts.
Ardelyx develops novel, first-in-class oral therapeutics to correct mineral metabolism and metabolic disorders. The Company's molecules, whose systemic exposure is severely restricted, target transporters and receptors, modulating the uptake of nutrients or inducing secretion of key hormones to produce a therapeutic benefit in patients. The Company's non-systemic products act from within the intestines to avoid potential side effects that could occur with systemic exposure. The Company's lead product, RDX5791, a minimally-absorbed, orally administered NHE3 sodium transport inhibitor, is being developed both for constipation-predominant irritable bowel syndrome (IBS-C) and for prevention of excess dietary sodium absorption, a new treatment modality for high blood pressure. RDX5791 is in phase 2 for IBS-C and a dose-ranging/regimen study for inhibition of excess dietary sodium absorption. Ardelyx is also developing RDX002, a minimally-absorbed, orally administered NaP2b phosphate transport inhibitor for the inhibition of phosphate absorption in patients with chronic kidney disease, and RDX009, a minimally-absorbed, orally administered TGR5 agonist for the treatment of type 2 diabetes through direct induction of intestinal incretins such as GLP-1 and PYY. Both RDX002 and RDX009 are in preclinical development. To date, Ardelyx has raised $56M in venture and angel funding since it was founded in 2007. Ardelyx is located in Fremont, California.
ORIC Pharmaceuticals is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company dedicated to improving patients’ lives by Overcoming Resistance In Cancer. ORIC’s lead product candidate, ORIC-101, is a potent and selective small molecule antagonist of the glucocorticoid receptor, which has been linked to resistance to multiple classes of cancer therapeutics across a variety of solid tumors. ORIC’s second product candidate, ORIC-533, is an orally bioavailable small molecule inhibitor of CD73, a key node in the adenosine pathway believed to play a central role in resistance to chemotherapy- and immunotherapy-based treatment regimens. Beyond these two product candidates, ORIC is also developing multiple precision medicines targeting other hallmark cancer resistance mechanisms. ORIC’s scientific founders, Charles Sawyers, MD, and Scott Lowe, Ph.D., have long records of discovering novel targets in cancer that have led to innovative treatments.
Intellia Therapeutics is a genome editing company that develops curative gene-editing treatments. It can positively transform the lives of people living with severe and life-threatening diseases. IIntellia holds exclusive access to one of the most comprehensive intellectual property platforms available for the therapeutic use of CRISPR-Cas9. The company is advancing a broad pipeline toward clinical development, including ex Vivo, and in vivo approaches. Intellia Therapeutics was formed in 2014 and is headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
Syndax Pharmaceuticals is a clinical-stage pharmaceutical company that focuses on an HDAC inhibitor for solid tumors and hematological tumors. It offers therapies to treat solid tumors and lung, breast, and hematological cancer. The company is developing axatilimab, a monoclonal antibody that blocks the colony-stimulating factor 1 (CSF-1) receptor, in development for chronic Graft versus Host Disease, and entinostat, a class I HDAC inhibitor. Syndax Pharmaceuticals pipeline includes and SNDX-5613, a highly selective inhibitor of the Menin–MLL binding interaction, in development for the treatment of patients with MLLr and NPM1 acute leukemias.
Metacrine is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on building an innovative pipeline of best-in-class drugs to treat liver and gastrointestinal (GI) diseases. The most advanced program is focused on the farnesoid X receptor (FXR) an important drug target in multiple liver and GI diseases. Beyond the FXR program, a pipeline of novel drug candidates against other drug targets is being explored by taking advantage of internal drug discovery and development capabilities.
Clementia is a clinical-stage company innovating treatments for people with ultra-rare bone disorders. The company develops disease-modifying treatments for patients suffering from debilitating bone and other diseases with a high unmet medical need. The company's lead product candidate, palovarotene, is an oral small molecule that has shown potent activity in preventing abnormal new bone formation as well as fibrosis in a variety of tissues. Clementia Pharmaceuticals was founded in 2012 and is headquartered in Montréal, Quebec.
Kezar Life Sciences company focused on the discovery and development of drugs targeting protein homeostasis for autoimmune disorders. In parallel with this work, Christopher and Kezar co-founder Jack Taunton, Ph.D. collaborated on several research projects involving protein secretion. This collaboration inspired a belief in the strong synergies between protein degradation and protein secretion, two fertile areas for drug discovery with platform potential.
Nabriva Therapeutics is a biopharmaceutical company engaged in the commercialization and development of innovative anti-infective agents to treat serious infections. Nabriva Therapeutics received U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval for XENLETA® (lefamulin injection, lefamulin tablets), the first systemic pleuromutilin antibiotic for community-acquired bacterial pneumonia (CABP). Nabriva Therapeutics is also developing CONTEPO™ (fosfomycin) for injection, a potential first-in-class epoxide antibiotic for complicated urinary tract infections (cUTI), including acute pyelonephritis. Nabriva entered into an exclusive agreement with subsidiaries of Merck & Co. Inc., Kenilworth, N.J., USA to market, sell and distribute SIVEXTRO® (tedizolid phosphate) in the United States and certain of its territories.
aTyr Pharma is a biotherapeutics company that discovers and develops protein biologics for human therapeutics. The company has established a dominant intellectual property estate surrounding Physiocrine-based compositions and potential therapeutic applications. aTyr’s key programs are focused on immunomodulation disorders in the areas of inflammation and immunity and are in preclinical development. The company's primary focus is ATYR1923, a clinical-stage product candidate which binds to the neuropilin-2 receptor and is designed to down-regulate immune engagement in interstitial lung diseases. The privately held biotech was founded by The Scripps Research Institute Professor Paul Schimmel, a leading aminoacyl tRNA synthetase scientist, and is backed by top life sciences investors Alta Partners, Cardinal Partners, Domain Associates and Polaris Ventures.
At Kura Oncology, They are committed to realizing the promise of precision medicines for cancer. The genomics revolution is transforming how they treat cancer. They now understand that how a patient responds to treatment depends in part on the genetic makeup of the cancer and, importantly, we have the knowledge and tools to create targeted treatments and companion diagnostics to identify those patients most likely to benefit. This new era offers the potential for innovative treatments that are safer and more effective for patients with particular cancers. They are leveraging our insights into cancer genetics as well as our core strength of translating novel science into life-saving medicines to advance a pipeline of precision medicines. Their development programs target cancers with high unmet need, including lung, colorectal, thyroid and pancreatic cancers as well as blood cancers such as lymphoma and leukemias.
Collegium Pharmaceutical is a specialty pharmaceutical company that develops and commercializes products aimed at treating chronic pain while addressing the concerns of prescription drug abuse. The company utilizes its patented DETERx platform technology to create abuse-deterrent formulations that maintain the extended-release profiles and safety of medications despite potential misuse methods such as chewing or crushing. Collegium's product lineup includes Xtampza ER, an extended-release oral formulation of oxycodone designed to deter abuse, as well as Nucynta ER and Nucynta IR, which are extended-release and immediate-release formulations of tapentadol respectively, for managing severe pain and acute pain in adults. Founded in 2002 and headquartered in Stoughton, Massachusetts, Collegium focuses on delivering innovative solutions for patients with chronic pain, utilizing formulation improvements backed by strong intellectual property protections.
Naurex Inc. is a clinical-stage company developing novel therapies for depression and other CNS disorders based on a new mechanism of action for modulating the N-methyl-D-aspartic acid receptor (NMDAR). Using these discoveries, Naurex researchers have generated novel chemical drug classes known as glycine-site functional partial agonists (GFPAs), which modulate the receptor in a different way than existing NMDAR agents. The company's drug development programs based on its GFPA NMDAR modulators include the first-generation molecule, GLYX-13, the second-generation NRX-1050 small molecule series and additional compounds from Naurex's platform of novel NMDAR modulators.
Scholar Rock is a biopharmaceutical company focused on the discovery and development of innovative medicines for the treatment of serious diseases in which signaling by protein growth factors plays a fundamental role. The company's newly elucidated understanding of the molecular mechanisms of growth factor activation enabled us to develop a proprietary platform for the discovery and development of monoclonal antibodies that locally and selectively target these signaling proteins at the cellular level. They believe this approach, acting in the disease microenvironment, avoids the historical challenges associated with inhibiting growth factors for therapeutic effect. We believe our focus on biologically validated growth factors may facilitate a more efficient development path. The company is advancing its lead product candidate, SRK-015, a selective first-in-class inhibitor of the activation of the growth factor myostatin in skeletal muscle, into clinical development for the treatment of spinal muscular atrophy, or SMA. They expect to initiate a Phase 1 clinical trial in the second quarter of 2018. Utilizing its proprietary platform, they are also creating a pipeline of novel product candidates with the potential to transform the lives of patients suffering from a wide range of serious diseases, including other neuromuscular disorders, cancer, fibrosis, and anemia.
Flex Pharma, Inc. is a biotechnology company that is developing innovative and proprietary treatments for nocturnal leg cramps, cramps and spasms associated.
SAGE Therapeutics is dedicated to the health and well being of patients with central nervous system (CNS) disorders. Their mission is to discover, develop and deliver novel medicines for many of today's most debilitating and disabling CNS disorders by leveraging compelling science, a robust clinical foundation, strong partnerships, and a world-class team of founders, advisors, investors, scientists and managers.
Atara Biotherapeutics, Inc. (@Atarabio) is an off-the-shelf, allogeneic T-cell immunotherapy company developing novel treatments for patients with cancer, autoimmune, and viral diseases. Atara’s technology platform leverages research collaborations with leading academic institutions with the Company’s scientific, clinical, regulatory, and manufacturing expertise. Atara’s pipeline includes tab-cel® (tabelecleucel), which is in Phase 3 development for patients with Epstein-Barr virus-associated post-transplant lymphoproliferative disorder (EBV+ PTLD) as well as in earlier stage development for other EBV-associated hematologic malignancies and solid tumors, including nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC); T-cell immunotherapies targeting EBV antigens believed to be important for the potential treatment of multiple sclerosis; and next-generation chimeric antigen receptor T-cell (CAR T) immunotherapies. The company was founded in 2012 and is co-located in South San Francisco and Southern California. Our Southern California hub is anchored by the state-of-the-art Atara T-cell Operations and Manufacturing (ATOM) facility in Thousand Oaks, California. For additional information about the company, please visit atarabio.com.
Atara Biotherapeutics, Inc. (@Atarabio) is an off-the-shelf, allogeneic T-cell immunotherapy company developing novel treatments for patients with cancer, autoimmune, and viral diseases. Atara’s technology platform leverages research collaborations with leading academic institutions with the Company’s scientific, clinical, regulatory, and manufacturing expertise. Atara’s pipeline includes tab-cel® (tabelecleucel), which is in Phase 3 development for patients with Epstein-Barr virus-associated post-transplant lymphoproliferative disorder (EBV+ PTLD) as well as in earlier stage development for other EBV-associated hematologic malignancies and solid tumors, including nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC); T-cell immunotherapies targeting EBV antigens believed to be important for the potential treatment of multiple sclerosis; and next-generation chimeric antigen receptor T-cell (CAR T) immunotherapies. The company was founded in 2012 and is co-located in South San Francisco and Southern California. Our Southern California hub is anchored by the state-of-the-art Atara T-cell Operations and Manufacturing (ATOM) facility in Thousand Oaks, California. For additional information about the company, please visit atarabio.com.