Our Team
Fund Management –
Bart Dzikowski is the Head of Legal for NVF in Basel, Switzerland. During his time with Novartis, he has served as the Head of Corporate Legal M&A (a.i.) and as Senior Business Development & Licensing/M&A Counsel. Before joining Novartis in 2009, Bart was Vice President with the Investment Banking Division of Bank of America/Merrill Lynch in New York and, before that, he was an associate with the Corporate/M&A Group at the law firm of Allen & Overy LLP in New York. Bart holds degrees in common law (LL.B.) and civil law (B.C.L.) from McGill Law School in Canada and is a member of the New York State Bar.
Giovanni Ferrara is a Venture Partner in Cambridge, MA, USA. Prior to joining NVF, he was a consultant to leading west coast venture capital firms and portfolio companies. Most recently, Giovanni was consulting Chief Business Officer to Sorbent Therapeutics. Previously, he was Managing Director and General Partner at Burrill & Company and began his venture capital career at GeneChem Management, where in addition to investing, he held operating positions in portfolio companies, including CEO of Targanta Therapeutics (then PhageTech, Inc.). He began his career in healthcare as a pharmacist at a cancer treatment center researching experimental therapies. He received his MBA and MSc from McGill University. Giovanni serves on the board of Thesan Pharmaceuticals, E-scape and NeuroVia.
Portfolio companies
E-scape Bio, Inc. (Board Seat) NeuroVia, Inc. (Board Seat) Thesan Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Board Seat)
Dr. Markus Goebel is a Managing Director in Basel, Switzerland. Prior to joining NVF, he worked as Head Novartis Pharmaceutical Corporate M&A and Head Nervous System Business Development & Licensing. A physician by training and certified, amongst others, in hematology/oncology, Markus worked for Farmitalia Germany and later held several positions in R&D, Marketing and Strategy at Roche headquarters before joining Novartis. Markus received an MD and a PhD from the Ludwig Maximilian’s University in Munich and an MBA from Henley. Markus serves on the board of eFFECTOR.
Portfolio companies
eFFECTOR Therapeutics, Inc. (Board Seat)
Exits
Acorda Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ: ACOR) EraGen Biosciences, Inc. (Acquired by Luminex Corporation) FoldRx Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Acquired by Pfizer) Intellikine, Inc. (Acquired by Takeda) LigoCyte Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Acquired by Takeda) Ra Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: RARX) Sirtris Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Acquired by GlaxoSmithKline) Xenoport, Inc. (NASDAQ: XNPT)
Florent Gros is a Managing Director in Basel, Switzerland. Prior to joining NVF, he worked in various global leadership positions in intellectual property and transaction matters at Nestlé, Pasteur Merieux Connaught (Sanofi Pasteur) and Novartis, in Europe and North America. Florent is a Kaufmann Fellow (2012) and holds a Biotechnology Engineering Masters Degree from France, and did his diploma thesis on vaccines at GSK in Belgium. He also holds European and French patent lawyer degrees and a Masters in Private Law. Florent serves on the boards of Adicet, Anokion SA, Atlas Genetics, Inflazome, Kanyos, Opsona, and Vivet.
Portfolio companies
Adicet Bio, Inc. (Board Seat) Anokion SA (Board Seat) Atlas Genetics, Ltd (Board Seat) Inflazome (Board Seat) Kanyos Bio, Inc. (Board Seat) Opsona, Ltd (Board Seat) Vivet Therapeutics (Board Seat)
Exits
Evolva AG (SIX Swiss Exchange: EVE) Neovacs SA (Alternext Paris: ALNEV) Okairos AG (Acquired by GlaxoSmithKline) Cellerix BV (Merger with Tigenix BV, NYSE Euronext: TIG) Gensight (EURONEXT: SIGHT) Merus Biopharmaceuticals BV (NASDAQ:MRUS)
Dr. Anja König is the Global Head of the NVF in Basel, Switzerland. Previously, she was a Managing Director at NVF investing in Switzerland, U.K. and the rest of Europe as well as Asia/Pacific. Prior to joining NVF, she was an Associate Partner at McKinsey and Company in New York, where she worked with healthcare companies in the US, Europe and Emerging Markets. Anja holds a PhD in physics from Cornell University. She serves on the boards of Bicycle Therapeutics, F2G and Forendo Pharma. Anja is active in the Swiss startup ecosystem and is a member of the board of the University of Zurich Life Sciences Fund, the evaluation panel of the Bridge Grant POC program of the Swiss National Science Foundation and the CTI, the selection committee of BaseLaunch and serves as a coach with the ETH Pioneer Labs program.
Portfolio companies
Bicycle Therapeutics, Ltd. (Board Seat) F2G, Ltd. (Board Seat) Forendo Pharma, Ltd. (Board Seat)
Exits
Covagen AG (Acquired by J&J) Heptares Therapeutics, Ltd (Acquired by Sosei) Nabriva Therapeutics AG (NASDAQ: NBRV) Qurient Therapeutics (KOSDAQ: 115180)
Dr. Campbell Murray is a Managing Director in Cambridge, MA, USA. Prior to joining NVF, he worked at the Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research as the Director of Special Projects. Campbell is a New Zealand-trained physician and worked as a Medical House Officer at Auckland Hospital. He is a Kauffman Fellow and holds an MBA from Harvard Business School and an MPP (public policy) from the John F. Kennedy School of Government, where he was a Knox Fellow and Rotary Ambassadorial Scholar. Campbell serves on the boards of Annexon, Galera, and Lemonaid Health.
Portfolio companies
Annexon, Inc. (Board Seat) Galera Therapeutics, Inc. (Board Seat) Lemonaid Health, Inc. (Board Seat)
Exits
Aerpio Therapeutics, Inc. Akebia Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ: AKBA) Alios BioPharma, Inc. (Acquired by J&J) Tokai Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: TKAI) Neurovance, Inc. (Acquired by Otsuka)
Dr. David Morris is a Venture Partner in San Francisco, CA, USA. Prior to joining NVF, he held multiple leadership roles in the Novartis Pharmaceuticals development organization including the Development Franchise Head of Respiratory, Development Franchise Head of Primary Care and, most recently, Global Head of Clinical Operations, Analytics and Regions where he was responsible for clinical trials operations and monitoring, statistics, data management, medical writing, submissions management and digital innovation. Prior to joining Novartis in 2009, David worked in drug discovery and translational medicine at Roche in Palo Alto, California. Before joining industry, he was a faculty member at Yale University Medical School and, prior to that, the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) Medical School. David received his Bachelors and Medical Degrees with distinction from the University of Rochester Medical School and trained in internal medicine at the Massachusetts General Hospital and in Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine at UCSF. He did his postdoctoral research training at the Lung Biology Center and Cardiovascular Research Institute at UCSF. Dave serves on the board of NeuroVia.
Portfolio companies
NeuroVia, Inc. (Board Seat)
Dr. Florian Muellershausen is a Principal in Basel, Switzerland. Prior to joining Novartis Venture Fund, he worked as a Scientific Manager for the R&D Committee of the Novartis Board of Directors and, before that held various scientific and drug discovery roles at the Novartis Institute of Biomedical Research (NIBR) including as Laboratory Head in target discovery and in early clinical research as Translational Medicine Expert, Autoimmunity. Florian received his MSc degree in Biochemistry from Free University Berlin and his PhD degree with great distinction in Biochemistry from Ruhr University Bochum and completed his post-doctoral training at NIBR in Switzerland.
Dr. Aaron Nelson is a Principal in Cambridge, MA, USA. Prior to joining NVF, he was an investor at dRx Capital, the joint investment company of Novartis and Qualcomm, focused on Digital Medicine. dRx catalyzes the success of digital medicine products, services, and business models by investing in early-stage companies and leveraging networks in Pharma, Mobile/IT, and the investment community. Previously, Aaron worked on technology strategy across multiple Business Units within Novartis, including Strategic Project Leader for the Trials of The Future program and Group Head in the Investigative Toxicology organization. Aaron studied medicine at Tufts University, cell and microbiology at the University of Pennsylvania and the Karolinska Institutet, and completed his undergraduate studies at Cornell University.
Steven D. Weinstein is a Managing Director in Cambridge, MA, USA. Steve focuses on both medical device and therapeutic investments for the fund. Steve has been investing in venture capital since 1999. Prior to joining NVF, he was a Principal at Prism Venture Partners where he focused on medical devices and served on the board of Sensitech (acquired by Carrier/UTX). Prior to Prism, Steve was a Kauffman Fellow with Mid-Atlantic Venture Funds, where he focused on software startups. He started his career as a turnaround CEO, raising angel funds to buy a defunct distribution business out of bankruptcy and restart it. Steve holds an MBA with distinction from the University of Michigan Business School and a B.S. in mechanical engineering from Columbia University’s School of Engineering and Applied Science. He serves on the Innovation Advisory Board of Partners Healthcare, and is a member of the Virginia GAP BioLife Fund Investment Committee, the University of Michigan Wolverine Venture Fund Advisory Board. Steve serves on the boards of Autonomic Technologies, Cavion, Rox Medical and Viamet Pharmaceuticals.
Portfolio companies
Autonomic Technologies, Inc. (Board Seat) Cavion (Board Seat) Rox Medical, Inc. (Board Seat) Viamet Pharmaceuticals Holdings, LLC (Board Seat)
Exits
Ablation Frontiers, Inc. (Acquired by Medtronic) Visiogen, Inc. (Acquired by Abbott)
Advisors–
Dr. Reza Zadno is an Innovation Advisor to Novartis Venture Fund (NVF) located in San Francisco, CA, USA. Reza is a serial entrepreneur focused on sourcing new investments particularly in the area of medical devices. Reza was the founder, President and CEO of Visiogen (a former NVF-portfolio company acquired by Abbott-Medical Optics) and co-founder of PercuSurge (acquired by Medtronic). Reza is also currently Executive in Residence at InterWest Partners. Prior to joining InterWest in 2012, Reza was a Venture Partner at New Leaf Venture Partners and, previously, an Entrepreneur in Residence at Three Arch Partners. Earlier in his career, he was with Cardiac Pathways (acquired by Boston Scientific) and with Raychem Corporation, now Tyco. Reza holds a Ph.D. from Ecole des Mines de Paris and has filed more than 100 U.S. patents. He serves on the boards of the following non-NVF companies, Carbylan, Gobiquity, Invuity, On Demand Therapeutics and Oraya Therapeutics.
Directors of Advisory Board –
President of the Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) and Professor of Neurosciences. Member of the Board of Lonza and the Nestlé Health Science Company.
Professor School of Life Sciences, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL); former Director of the Swiss Institute for Experimental Cancer Research (ISREC); Director of the National Center of Competence in Research (NCCR) in Molecular Oncology.
Chairman, Novartis Institute for Tropical Diseases.
Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of Novartis and member of the Executive Committee of Novartis (ECN).
Nobel Prize Winner for Chemistry, Collège de France, Paris, Université Louis Pasteur, Strasbourg, France.
Director of Research, Institut Curie, Paris, France.
Chief Medical Officer of University Hospital Basel
General Partner at Advent Life Sciences LLP, London, UK.
Professor of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Member, Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research.
Dr. Beat Steffen is a Principal in Basel, Switzerland. Prior to joining Novartis Venture Fund, he worked at Novartis Pharmaceuticals in commercial roles in the US and in Switzerland launching several products mainly in the cardiovascular area. Beat joined Novartis from Wellington Partners Venture Capital where he worked with biotech and medical device startup companies. Prior to that, he was at McKinsey & Company in Zurich working with clients in the pharmaceutical industry. Beat is a Swiss-trained physician having focused in cardiovascular surgery and intensive care. He graduated from the University of Zurich Medical School and qualified as a Medical Doctor in Basel. Beat holds an MBA with distinction from INSEAD. Beat serves on the board of AlloCyte.
Portfolio companies
AlloCyte Pharmaceuticals (Board Seat)
Our Portfolio
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Lemonaid Health is leading a second wave of telehealth where technology algorithms power quality care. Lemonaid leverages evidence-based guidelines and the most up-to-date clinical protocols to offer a service direct to consumer for less than typical co-pays. Lemonaid is focused on creating a revolutionized patient experience and improving and optimizing clinical care through the advancements in machine learning and AI.
http://www.vivet-therapeutics.com/
Vivet Therapeutics SAS is addressing current gene therapy limitations and focusing on the discovery and clinical development of gene therapy for liver inherited metabolic diseases as well as for protein replacement therapy. A treatment of the Wilson’s disease has entered GMP manufacturing and IND enabling studies. Additional programs are being developed, including for treatment of progressive familial intrahepatic cholestasis and Citrulinemia.
http://www.allocyte-pharmaceuticals.com/
AlloCyte develops selective, non-agonistic small molecule integrin inhibitors (integrin "silencers") to treat severe immune-mediated diseases. AlloCyte's lead indication is non-infectious posterior uveitis, a sight-threatening orphan disease.
http://www.advancedanimaldiagnostics.com
Advanced Animal Diagnostics is an animal health diagnostics company, developing highly accurate, rapid on-farm diagnostics. The QScout® line of on-farm diagnostics will detect disease states at an early stage and optimize management of the reproductive, nutritional and overall health status of production animals, beginning with the dairy cow. The company’s platform diagnostic technology is designed to enhance the profitability of livestock production, improve animal welfare, and ensure a safe, abundant supply of animal protein.
Adicet Bio, Inc. is using it’s novel immune cell therapy platform in combination with its wholly owned subsidiary, Applied Immune Technologies, Ltd.’s T-Cell Receptor-Like (TCRL) antibody platform that are targeted to intracellular-derived peptides to develop novel immunotherapies for inflammatory, autoimmune and infectious diseases as well as cancer.
Aileron is a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company that is developing first-in-class therapeutics based on its proprietary Stapled Peptide drug platform. Aileron aims to dramatically improve the treatment of a wide range of diseases, including cancer and metabolic and endocrine conditions, and positively impact the lives of millions of patients. Aileron’s lead drug development programs are its p53 reactivator for the treatment of cancer, ALRN-6924, and ALRN-5281, a long-acting, growth hormone releasing factor (GRF) for adult growth hormone deficiency that completed a Phase 1 clinical trial in 2013.
http://www.amp-therapeutics.com/
AMP was founded in 2009 as a spin-out from Prof. Ralf Hoffmann’s laboratory at the University of Leipzig. AMP is developing the next generation of broad-spectrum Gram-negative antibiotics for the treatment of drug-resistant infections. It has been estimated that approximately 30-40% of all hospital-acquired (nosocomial) infections worldwide are caused by Gram-negative bacteria. Gram-negative pathogens are highly genetically flexible and thus develop resistance mechanisms that render most of the current therapies ineffective.
Anokion is developing targeted therapeutics by retraining white blood cells to induce therapeutic antigen-specific immune tolerance. Their technology uses the body’s natural immune regulation by engineering proteins to be perceived as "self" entities to treat autoimmune and allergic diseases and to reduce the immunogenicity of therapeutic proteins.
Atlas is developing the io® platform, a highly novel molecular diagnostic system for the ultra-rapid diagnosis of a broad range of infectious diseases using either nucleic acid or immunoassays. The system is fast, ultra-sensitive and designed for use in decentralized laboratories, point-of-care and other near-patient settings, providing a laboratory accurate test result in about 30 minutes.
Autonomic Technologies is developing a miniaturized implantable neurostimulation device to provide rapid relief from the debilitating pain and suffering caused by severe headaches such as cluster headaches and migraines.
http://www.bicycletherapeutics.com
Bicycle has a platform technology to create biotherapeutics combining features of small molecules and biopharmaceuticals. Bicycle Therapeutics is a spin-out from the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology based on the work of the founding scientists Sir Gregory Winter and Prof. Christian Heinis.
http://www.bionanogenomics.com/
BioNano has developed the Irys genome mapping platform using nanochannel technology to visualize whole genomes of any organism, including humans. By capturing extremely long DNA molecules at high resolution (hundreds of kilobases vs. single nucleotides), Irys delivers genome maps that provide novel insight into structural variations, such as translocations, amplifications and deletions, that underlies phenotypic variation. The Irys platform can reveal relevant mutations in complex genomes filling the gap between the available cytogenetics and next-generation sequencing/microarray technologies to further advance genome research.
Cavion is a clinical stage pharmaceutical company committed to providing patients with therapies for neurologic diseases and cancer through the development of drugs that selectively inhibit the T-type calcium channel (Cav3).
eFFECTOR is pioneering a new class of small molecule drugs that act by selectively regulating translation (protein synthesis). The company unites novel insights into the mechanisms of translational control with a proven approach to product invention. eFFECTOR is pursuing selective translation regulators to restore homeostasis to the translation landscape, thereby reversing the consequences of disregulation and offering treatment for a variety of serious conditions.
Euthymics is a clinical stage, biotherapeutic company that is focused on developing therapeutics that help patients achieve euthymia, which means "mood in the normal range". The company’s lead compound, amitifadine, is in clinical development for alcohol abuse and depression
E-scape is developing therapeutics against genetic targets for neurodegenerative disease including Alzheimer’s Disease and Lewy Body Disease. E-scape’s small molecule approach binds to mutated protein targets and alters protein structure to mimic wild type functionality.
F2G is a UK biotechnology company focused on the discovery and development of novel drugs to treat life threatening fungal diseases. F2G is advancing its F3 series of anti-mold compounds. This is a novel class of anti-fungal agent, which acts through a completely new mechanism different from all currently marketed drugs. The F3 series displays highly potent activity against clinically relevant aspergilli and many other important pathogenic molds.
Forendo is a drug discovery and development company with core competence in tissue specific regulation of sex hormone effects. Its two first-in-class product candidates are in preclinical development with the potential to offer significant therapeutic benefits in men’s and women’s health.
http://www.formatherapeutics.com
Forma targets essential cancer pathways to create small molecule cancer therapies. Forma leverages the integration of its innovative drug discovery technologies and oncology expertise, enabling efficient screening, discovery and rational development of drug candidates with qualified cellular mechanisms of action. Forma is building a robust pipeline of cancer therapies in areas such as tumor metabolism, proteinprotein interactions and epigenetics.
Galera is a clinical stage drug development company with a portfolio of small molecule superoxide dismutase activators. Superoxide, a product of normal cellular oxygen metabolism and certain environmental stresses, is harmful to DNA, RNA, proteins and lipids. This highly reactive molecule is managed by superoxide dismutases (SODs), but the SOD enzyme is deficient in certain disease states. Galera’s technology replaces this loss of function. The company is initially focusing on radiation-induced mucositis, cancer and pulmonary fibrosis.
Genedata provides computational solutions for drug discovery and systems biology research with a combination of software products and professional services that have been developed in partnership with major pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies.
http://www.gensight-biologics.com
GenSight Biologics is focused on the development of gene therapies in ophthalmic diseases to prevent retinal degeneration in selected pathological conditions and to restore vision in patients suffering from very low vision or blindness.
ImaginAb has a proprietary antibody fragment platform that yields molecular information to guide treatment decisions in cancer and immunology by in vivo imaging. ImaginAb also collaborates with biopharmaceutical partners to design imaging agents as companion diagnostics for therapeutic antibodies.
Inflazome is developing first in class, orally available drugs to address clinical unmet needs by targeting activation of the inflammasome. The company has proprietary new chemical entities that inhibit inflammasome-driven release of pro-inflammatory cytokines that exacerbate inflammation. In addition, they block innate immune cell pyroptosis (uncontrolled cell death), a process that leads to chronic inflammation.
Innocrin is a clinical stage pharmaceutical company developing novel, “best-in-class” oral, CYP17 lyase inhibitors for the treatment of castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) and potentially other hormonally-driven conditions such as breast cancer, endometriosis, or congenital adrenal hyperplasia.
http://intersectionmedical.com
Intersection is developing a device to help monitor and manage patients in acute decompensated heart failure. A large and growing cost driver for healthcare systems, acute decompensated heart failure and related hospital re-admissions is a growing area of focus globally. Intersection looks to improve patient outcomes, inform the treatment paradigm, and reduce costs for healthcare systems.
Kanyos and was founded with the goal of developing antigen-specific immune tolerance technology for two specific autoimmune indications, type-1 diabetes and celiac disease. The technology originates from EPFL and consists of transporting antigens onto the surface of erythrocytes, enabling specific antigen T cell depletion.
http://www.merganserbiotech.com
Merganser Biotech is developing new medicines that increase hepcidin activity for the treatment of rare hematological and iron overload diseases. Hepcidin is the master regulator of iron metabolism and controls iron absorption from the diet and iron transfer around the body. Hepcidin deficiency causes iron overload, leading to heart and liver damage and may contribute to the severity of ineffective erythropoiesis and anemia in beta thalassemia. Merganser's hepcidin mimetic peptides prevent iron accumulation and reduce the severity of ineffective erythropoiesis in preclinical models of beta thalassemia.
Macrolide is an anti-infective company founded to advance new technology developed by Professor Andrew Myers at Harvard University. Current macrolide antibiotics, such as erythromycin and azithromycin, are less effective due to increase bacterial resistance. Macrolide’s technology enables the total synthesis of virtually any macrolide providing novel next generation macrolide antibiotics.
Merus leverages its proprietary antibody platform to generate full-length bi-specific IgG antibodies (Biclonics®) for oncology. The technology platform leverages fixed VL chains to produce functional monoclonal and bi-specific antibodies in a single cell. Merus has also developed an innovative transgenic mice platform (MeMo®) and state-of-the-art phage display libraries of human Fab fragments to generate panels of common light chain antibodies.
MyoPowers is developing a class III medical implant for the treatment of severe urinary incontinence in males and females, one of the largest under developed therapeutic areas today. MyoPowers aims to enter into CE-enabling clinical studies in the near-term.
Neomics is a drug discovery and diagnostics company with a unique cancer target and biomarker discovery platform. In particular, Neomics is focused on novel targets and biomarkers relevant to aminoacyl RNA synthetases (ARS). They have preclinical and clinical validation of their targets and biomarkers.
Neurovance is a biopharmaceutical company developing treatments for central nervous system (CNS) disorders. Neurovance’s clinical stage EB-1020 for adult attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a norepinephrine and dopaminepreferring triple reuptake inhibitor that is expected to be effective for adult ADHD without the addiction potential of other ADHD drugs.
NeuroVia is a specialty pharmaceutical company focused on developing therapeutics for orphan disease with significant unmet medical need.
Opsona is a drug development company focused on novel therapeutic and preventative approaches to inflammatory and related diseases. Opsona has a pipeline of therapeutics in advanced preclinical development that modulates the innate immune system, including biologics and small molecules that target TLR-2 and Nalp-3. Opsona has started Phase 2b clinical studies with the TLR-2 monoclonal antibody to prevent delayed graft function in kidney transplant.
PharmAbcine develops fully human therapeutic monoclonal antibodies for the treatment of cancer and inflammatory diseases. PharmAbcine is a spin-out from Korea Research Institute of Bioscience & Biotechnology (KRIBB).
http://www.quartetmedicine.com/
Quartet is discovering and developing novel treatments for chronic pain and inflammation. Human genetics and preclinical target validation data point to increased tetrahydrobiopterin (BH4) as a critical mediator of peripheral nerve dysfunction and immune cell regulation. Quartet is capitalizing on these insights by safely restoring BH4 homeostasis in neuronal and inflammatory cells.
Ra uses proprietary combinatorial assembly and in vitro display technologies to discover macrocyclic compounds with enhanced bioavailability targeting a wide range of intracellular, cell-surface, and circulating proteins. Ra’s initial focus is on orally available replacements for a variety of marketed biologics, as well as drugs targeting intracellular protein-protein interactions.
Symetis is successfully marketing a transapical catheter-mediated delivery system for the beating heart to insert stented mechanical valves for application in cardiac valve replacement.
Thesan is developing innovative therapeutics for dermatological applications. The company is currently developing topical applications of novel chemical entities against novel targets for atopic dermatitis and acne.
Trellis is leveraging its proprietary CellSpotTM technology to deliver higher quality therapeutic monoclonal antibodies. The company has programs in infectious disease.
Altimmune is a clinical stage immunotherapeutic biotechnology company focused on the discovery and development of novel products that engage, stimulate and improve immune responses for the prevention and treatment of disease. By leveraging the complementary attributes of its two innovative vaccine delivery platforms, RespirVec™ and Densigen™, Altimmune is able to rationally design and rapidly develop immunotherapeutic products tailored to address the a wide range of disease indications including acute respiratory infections, chronic viral infections and cancer with fundamental advantages over competing products.
Viamet is a clinical stage biotechnology company that discovers and develops “best-in-class” small molecule inhibitors of validated metalloenzymes via an innovative metal binding approach, its proprietary Metallophile® Technology. The company develops traditional small molecule compounds that exploit validated metalloenzyme targets in the field of infectious disease.
Rox Medical is developing an innovative interventional vascular therapy for uncontrolled hypertension. This therapy is intended to reduce peripheral vascular resistance and add a compliant venous element to the arterial system through creation of a therapeutic arteriovenous anastomosis with the ROX Coupler.
Annexon is developing disease modifying therapeutics to protect neuronal connections (synapses) that are lost in nearly all forms of neurodegenerative disease. Annexon’s platform is focused on inhibiting C1q as the initiating molecule of the complement cascade responsible for aberrantly binding to functional synapses and triggering their elimination in neurodegenerative diseases. This pathway is also well known to contribute to pathology in a number of autoimmune diseases of the nervous system. Annexon’s lead molecule, ANX005, effectively blocks this pathway and will have broad therapeutic application in both acute and chronic neurological diseases. Annexon’s initial focus will be in acute peripheral immune-mediated disorders.
