Medicxi

MiroBio's platform is based on ground-breaking research by their scientific founders at the University of Oxford delineating how immune cells communicate and how they are activated. These insights have enabled MiroBio to create antibodies that can leverage natural signalling mechanisms to restore immune system balance and control.

Xenikos aims to develop a new medicine, based on the action of antibodies that enables patients suffering serious immune diseases, or rejection after transplantation, to reset their immune system quickly and efficiently. Xenikos strives to develop new, innovative immunotherapy medicines to help restore patients’ health and save lives.

Versanis Bio discovers and develops medicines that address medical conditions prevalent in older adults. Versanis Bio is advancing Bimagrumab, a human monoclonal antibody to the activin type II receptors that block the binding of ligands including activin A and myostatin. Bimagrumab has been studied by Novartis in more than a dozen controlled clinical trials that enrolled more than 1,500 people. Across key studies, Bimagrumab treatment consistently and potently induced significant loss of fat mass without loss of lean mass, and additionally improved HbA1c and other cardiometabolic parameters.

Sydnexis is engaged in the development of a proprietary treatment for pediatric progressive myopia, a major global unmet medical need. Sydnexis manufactures pharmaceutical product for ophthalmic disorder or condition.

Rivus Pharmaceuticals operates as a biopharmaceutical company dedicated to improving cardio-metabolic health. Rivus Pharmaceuticals is dedicated to improving cardio-metabolic health by developing controlled metabolic accelerators (CMAs) that address the underlying metabolic risk factors for cardiovascular mortality and morbidity.

Kurome Therapeutics is a preclinical stage company focused on subverting cancer's ability to evade therapy. The company is developing therapies that target cancer cells that have co-opted immune signaling pathways to avoid destruction by traditional therapeutic agents and subvert adaptive resistance mechanisms.

Aura Biosciences is a biotechnology company that focuses on the development of drugs by using tumor-targeted pseudovirions. The company is applying nanotechnology to help fight cancer in the well-studied area of chemotherapeutics and the emerging field of RNAi. By safely eliminating cancer locally, they can treat early and transform the lives of people with a wide range of cancers that are poorly managed today. The company's goal is to treat small ocular melanomas potentially long before the disease progresses and metastasizes to the liver, where it almost always is fatal. Aura Biosciences was founded in 2007 and is headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Janpix is discovering and developing inhibitors of Signal Transducer and Activator of Transcription (“STAT”) proteins. Most members of this family of transcription factors have been known for some time and their relevance in certain cancers, in particular for STAT3 & STAT5, validated. Inhibiting the function of STAT proteins though has been very challenging thus far and Janpix developed new chemistry to address this complex problem.

Palladio Bio is a clinical-stage company developing transformative medicines for orphan diseases of the kidney. The company specializes in the fields of biotechnology, pharmaceutical. and therapeutics. Its products are designed for renal disease, kidney disease, and polycystic kidney disease. The company was founded in 2015 and headquartered in Horsham, Pennsylvania.

Checkmate Pharma is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing a new approach for cancer immunotherapy. The clinical programs are focused on enabling more people with cancer to benefit from the promise of novel immunotherapies. They leveraging their expertise in the field of CpG oligonucleotides to discover and develop immunotherapies designed to increase the efficacy of existing immunotherapies and to provide new treatment options for patients and their healthcare providers. Checkmate Pharmaceutical was founded in 2015 and is headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Vaxcyte is a next-generation vaccine company seeking to improve global health by developing superior and novel vaccines designed to prevent or treat some of the most common and deadly infectious diseases worldwide. The Company’s cell-free protein synthesis platform, comprising the XpressCFTM platform, exclusively licensed from Sutro Biopharma, Inc., together with Vaxcyte’s proprietary know-how, enables the design and production of protein carriers and antigens, the critical building blocks of vaccines, in ways that the Company believes conventional vaccine technologies currently cannot. In addition to its pneumococcal conjugate vaccines in development, VAX-24 and VAX-XP, Vaxcyte is leveraging its proprietary platform to advance other novel vaccines, including a prophylactic vaccine to prevent Group A Strep infections (VAX-A1) and a therapeutic vaccine to treat periodontal disease (VAX-PG).

Alderaan Biotechnology is a Biotechnology company develops antibodies targeting new and original targets in immuno-oncology, expressed by NK cells in particular.

Divide & Conquer is a biotechnology company based in Cambridge, UK and working in collaboration with the University of Heidelberg and German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ). The company is focused on developing new therapeutics against glioblastoma (grade IV astrocytoma), a particularly lethal form of brain cancer, and other solid tumours with very poor life expectancy. Divide & Conquer is funded by VC firm Medicxi.

Breakpoint Therapeutics is a company that discover and develop new anti-cancer drugs. By targeting the DNA damage response (“DDR”) in cancer cells, Breakpoint Therapeutics aims to advance to clinical development first-in-class oncology drugs that interfere with DNA repair and replication stress tolerance pathways. Their mission is to develop drugs that succeed and complement PARP inhibitors and facilitate the cure of therapy resistant cancers.

Yukin Therapeutics is a French biotechnology company. The company focuses on the development of new therapeutic molecules, entitled kinase inhibitors, specifically targeting a protein involved in the development of several types of cancer: the NIK protein (NF-κB inducing kinase). Yukin Therapeutics led studies that demonstrated proof of concept in animal models and is now actively seeking to identify a first drug candidate to launch a clinical trial in oncology.

Phathom Pharmaceuticals, launched in 2019 by Frazier Healthcare Partners and Takeda Pharmaceuticals, is a biopharmaceutical company focused on the development and commercialization of novel treatments for gastrointestinal (GI) diseases and disorders. The company is advancing the clinical drug candidate vonoprazan, a novel potassium-competitive acid blocker (P-CAB). Vonoprazan has the potential to address multiple unmet needs among patients with gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) and other acid-related disorders. Phathom has assembled a leading team of seasoned gastrointestinal and pharmaceutical industry experts with proven experience developing and commercializing highly innovative therapies.

Aura Biosciences is a biotechnology company that focuses on the development of drugs by using tumor-targeted pseudovirions. The company is applying nanotechnology to help fight cancer in the well-studied area of chemotherapeutics and the emerging field of RNAi. By safely eliminating cancer locally, they can treat early and transform the lives of people with a wide range of cancers that are poorly managed today. The company's goal is to treat small ocular melanomas potentially long before the disease progresses and metastasizes to the liver, where it almost always is fatal. Aura Biosciences was founded in 2007 and is headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Orexia is developing oral orexin positive modulators for the treatment of narcolepsy, a rare neurological condition that affects the brain's ability to regulate the normal sleep-wake cycle

Inexia aims to develop intranasally administered orexin positive modulators for the treatment of neurological diseases.The orexin system is a key regulator of behavioural arousal, wakefulness and sleep. The loss of the orexin neurons has been shown to be strongly linked to multiple neurological conditions including narcolepsy. In this indication, orexin receptors remain intact and functional, providing an opportunity for therapeutic intervention.

MORPHOGEN-IX Limited is a drug discovery company founded in 2015 by Index Ventures to develop bone morphogenetic proteins as a novel therapy for the treatment for pulmonary arterial hypertension Pulmonary arterial hypertension is a severe and life-limiting disease that affects the blood vessels in the lungs, leading to heart failure, and leaves sufferers feeling breathless and exhausted. Current treatments mainly target symptoms and the prognosis remains poor. The only effective cure is transplantation of the lungs or heart and lungs, which has associated risks and complications. Compromised bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) receptor type II (BMPR-II) signalling in endothelial cells plays a pivotal role in the pathobiology PAH, as identified from human genetic studies. BMP9 and 10 represent circulating ligands that selectively bind and activate BMPR-II receptor complexes on endothelial cells. Administration of exogenous BMP9 has been shown to augment endothelial BMPR-II signalling and reverse PAH in several rodent models of disease. Our goal is to explore the potential of BMP9 and BMP10 as potential therapies for PAH. The company follows the semi-virtual model with a hub based in Cambridge, UK. The company founders are experts in the field of PAH and BMPs. The team is staffed with experienced drug discovery professionals to direct an out-sourced development program. This model ensures maximum capital efficiency without sacrificing quality.

Vaxcyte is a next-generation vaccine company seeking to improve global health by developing superior and novel vaccines designed to prevent or treat some of the most common and deadly infectious diseases worldwide. The Company’s cell-free protein synthesis platform, comprising the XpressCFTM platform, exclusively licensed from Sutro Biopharma, Inc., together with Vaxcyte’s proprietary know-how, enables the design and production of protein carriers and antigens, the critical building blocks of vaccines, in ways that the Company believes conventional vaccine technologies currently cannot. In addition to its pneumococcal conjugate vaccines in development, VAX-24 and VAX-XP, Vaxcyte is leveraging its proprietary platform to advance other novel vaccines, including a prophylactic vaccine to prevent Group A Strep infections (VAX-A1) and a therapeutic vaccine to treat periodontal disease (VAX-PG).

Xenikos aims to develop a new medicine, based on the action of antibodies that enables patients suffering serious immune diseases, or rejection after transplantation, to reset their immune system quickly and efficiently. Xenikos strives to develop new, innovative immunotherapy medicines to help restore patients’ health and save lives.

Synthorx is a biotechnology company using ground-breaking synthetic biology starting with our novel DNA base pair to discover and develop new protein therapeutics. The company uses new building blocks to create proteins that impart specificity not possible with native proteins. The result is treatments with improved efficacy, better safety, and better convenience for patients. Utilizing proprietary engineered organisms we have the ability to manufacture these improved proteins with high fidelity and the required yield for drug discovery and development. This unique platform expands the chemical and structural repertoire of protein therapeutics and uncovers new ways to modulate pharmacological properties of biologics, not possible with other technologies. The company was founded by Avalon Ventures based on important discoveries in Dr. Floyd Romesberg’s lab at The Scripps Research Institute in La Jolla, Calif. These discoveries include research published by the Romesberg lab in Nature, describing the first example of in vivo replication of a synthetic DNA base pair and the development of a semi-synthetic organism (read more here). Synthorx has the exclusive rights to this synthetic biology technology from The Scripps Research Institute. Investors include Avalon Ventures, Correlation Ventures, Medicxi, Orbimed, Osage University Partners, and RA Capital Management.

Critical Pressure is a provider of drugs designed to treat to treat vascular dysfunction and shock. The company's technology has the potential to change clinical practice without the potentially harmful effects of excess fluid administration and toxicities associated with the currently available catecholamine-based vasoactive agents, providing the possibility of supportive therapy during the critical period of haemodynamic compromise.

Impact Biomedicines is pioneering the development of life changing treatments for patients with complex cancers. The Company’s pipeline is centered around fedratinib, a potent and highly selective oral small molecule JAK2 kinase inhibitor that is being developed initially for the treatment of myelofibrosis and polycythemia vera.

Janpix is discovering and developing inhibitors of Signal Transducer and Activator of Transcription (“STAT”) proteins. Most members of this family of transcription factors have been known for some time and their relevance in certain cancers, in particular for STAT3 & STAT5, validated. Inhibiting the function of STAT proteins though has been very challenging thus far and Janpix developed new chemistry to address this complex problem.

Sydnexis is engaged in the development of a proprietary treatment for pediatric progressive myopia, a major global unmet medical need. Sydnexis manufactures pharmaceutical product for ophthalmic disorder or condition.

Diasome Pharmaceuticals is a clinical stage diabetes therapeutics company that designs and develops insulin-based therapies. The company’s products include Oral HVD-I, a targeted oral insulin in a pill or gel cap dose form; HDV-I, an injectable short acting insulin; and HDV-B, an injectable basal long acting insulin. It develops products for patients suffering from Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes. Diasome Pharmaceuticals was founded in 2004 and is based in Conshohocken, Pennsylvania.

Palladio Bio is a clinical-stage company developing transformative medicines for orphan diseases of the kidney. The company specializes in the fields of biotechnology, pharmaceutical. and therapeutics. Its products are designed for renal disease, kidney disease, and polycystic kidney disease. The company was founded in 2015 and headquartered in Horsham, Pennsylvania.

Z Factor Limited is a drug discovery company founded in 2015 to identify and develop therapeutic agents to treat alpha-1-antitrypsin deficiency. The company was created by Index Ventures in partnership with the University of Cambridge.

The SuperX team is engaged in the discovery of antibodies against an undisclosed target in the blood coagulation cascade. SuperX hopes to reach the clinic in 2019.A preclinical stage biopharmaceutical company, based at Babraham Research Campus, developing novel anticoagulant drugs

ApcinteX develops and markets anticoagulant APC pathway to treat haemophilia. Apcintex has developed a new treatment that seeks to turn down the activity of a key natural anticoagulant pathway to produce normal blood clotting in patients with haemophilia. This means that the drug could potentially treat patients with all types of haemophilia, including those who develop antibodies to replacement factors. Furthermore, the drug does not cause anti-clotting antibodies to form and could be administered fortnightly by simple injection under the skin.

Mavalon Therapeutics is a company focused on stopping the progression of Parkinson’s disease. The biotechnology company is developing mGluR3 allosteric modulators for the treatment of Parkinson's disease.

Kymo Therapeutics’s ambition is to move forward Metabrain Research’s proprietary program on kynurenine metabolism (KMO) inhibitors towards clinical proof of concept, before seeking partners to complete development and ensure commercialization.

Gadeta is a research and development company that develops immunotherapies for cancer. It has developed a technology platform based on combinatorial T Cell receptor exchange (CTE) to create optimized gamma delta (γδ) T-cell receptors (TCRs) with enhanced anti-cancer reactivity. Gadeta’s new cell-based anti-cancer product called T Cells Engineered To Express A Defined Gamma Delta TCR (TEGs) has strong therapeutic potential for combating and eradicating both hematological and solid tumors. This approach utilizes high-affinity γδ TCRs expressed on αβ T cells with superior proliferation capacity.

Capella Bioscience engages in the discovery and development of monoclonal antibodies (mAbs). It focuses on the employment of proprietary technologies to discover, develop, and commercialize medicines based on mAbs therapeutics for oncology, autoimmune, and other diseases independently, as well in collaboration with biotechnology and academic partners

Stealthyx Therapeutics Ltd. is developing a unique, safe, patented drug-targeting platform technology capable of drug delivery only at sites of disease. It will significantly improve the pharmacokinetic, pharmacodynamic and therapeutic properties of biological agents.