Novartis Venture Fund
Foster innovation, drive significant patient benefit and generate superior returns by creating and investing in innovative life science companies.

NVF is stage agnostic, engaging in investments from seed- to later-stage life sciences companies across Biotechnology/Biopharma.

NVF manages over USD 750 million in committed capital and more than 40 portfolio companies across North America, Europe and Israel.

Our Fund

Investment Focus:

Our primary focus is on the development of novel therapeutics and platforms. In our investments we look for unmet need and clinical impact, novel proprietary science and understanding of mechanism, management and board experience and capital efficiency in the program.

Invest Globally:

We invest in North America, Europe and Israel with approximately USD 750 million under management in committed capital. We continue our strategy of making larger focused investments and anticipate total investments up to USD 30 million per company over its life.

Invest Across Healthcare Sector:

We make equity investments in Biotechnology/Biopharma life sciences companies. NVF is stage agnostic and engages in seed investments as well as later-stage investments. We typically lead or co-lead an investment and play an active role on company boards.

Biotechnology/
Biopharma

Total
number of jobs created
> 1000

Total
dollars under management approximately $750 million

18
Phase 1 and 2 clinical programs

Our Team

Fund Management

Dr. Anja König
Dr. Laura Brass
Bart Dzikowski
Dr. Florian Muellershausen
Dr. Aaron Nelson
Michal Silverberg
Dr. Beat Steffen
Dr. Marianne Uteng
Dr. Adam Cotton
Dr. Mathias Frederiksen
Dr. Michelle Ma

Dr. Laura Brass is a Managing Director at the Novartis Venture Fund in Cambridge, MA, USA. Prior to joining NVF, Laura was a Managing Director at MPM Capital, and prior to that, she was a member of the founding management team and SVP of Business Development for TriNetX, a healthcare IT company focusing on big data analytics for clinical research. Before TriNetX, Laura was Director of Business Development at Harvard University's Office of Technology Development and at its Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering. She led commercialization strategy, start-up creation, deal structuring, and negotiations for a portfolio of over 250 biotech, synthetic chemistry, engineering, software, device, and stem cell technologies developed at Harvard and Harvard-affiliated institutions. Laura has also held roles in business development and IP strategy at Elixir Pharmaceuticals, and was CEO of Aferon, Inc., an early-stage antiviral start-up company. Laura holds a B.A. in Philosophy and a B.S. in Biochemistry from the University of Missouri-Columbia, and a Ph.D. in Molecular Genetics and Cell Biology and an M.B.A. from the University of Chicago.


Portfolio companies

Anokion (Board Seat) Expansion (Observer) Immunitas Therapeutics (Board Seat) Ribon Therapeutics (Board Seat)

Exits

Annexon (IPO)

Bart Dzikowski is a Managing Director at the Novartis Venture Fund and its Head of Transactions & Legal based in Basel, Switzerland. Prior to joining NVF, Bart held various senior roles in Novartis' Corporate Legal M&A and Business Development & Licensing groups. Before joining Novartis in 2009, Bart was a Vice President with the Investment Banking Division of Bank of America/Merrill Lynch in New York and, before that, he was an attorney with the Corporate/M&A Group at the law firm of Allen & Overy LLP in New York. Bart holds a Juris Doctor (J.D.) and Civil Law (B.C.L.) degrees from McGill Law School in Canada and is a member of the New York State Bar.


Portfolio companies

Amphista (Board Seat) Enterprise Therapeutics (Board Seat) UZH Life Sciences Fund (Board Seat)

Exits

Enterprise TMEM16A (Acquired by Roche) Inflazome (Acquired by Roche) Oculis (IPO)


Dr. Anja König is the Global Head of the Novartis Venture Fund 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 is active in the Swiss startup ecosystem and is a member of Stiftungsrat and Stiftungsratsausschuss of the Swiss National Science Foundation.


Portfolio companies

Anaveon (Observer) Mediar Therapeutics (Board Seat)

Exits

Arctos Medical AG (Acquired by Novartis) Bicycle Therapeutics (IPO) Covagen AG (Acquired by J&J) Forendo Pharma (M&A) Genedata (Buy Back) Heptares Therapeutics, Ltd (Acquired by Sosei) Nabriva Therapeutics (IPO) PharmAbcine (IPO) Qurient Therapeutics (IPO)

Dr. Florian Muellershausen is a Managing Director at the Novartis Venture Fund 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.


Portfolio companies

Amphista (Observer) Anaveon (Board Seat) Granite Bio (Board Seat) LoQus23 Therapeutics (Board Seat) SpliceBio (Observer)

Exits

Arctos Medical AG (Acquired by Novartis)

Dr. Aaron Nelson is a Managing Director at the Novartis Venture Fund 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. 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.


Portfolio companies

Exo Therapeutics (Board Seat) ImmPACT-Bio (Observer) TigaTx (Board Seat)

Exits

Lemonaid Health (Acquired by 23andMe)

Michal Silverberg is a Managing Director at the Novartis Venture Fund in Cambridge, MA, USA. Prior to joining NVF, she was a Senior Partner at Takeda Ventures and, before that, worked at Novo Nordisk in roles of increasing responsibility including as Senior Director Business Development and New Product Commercialization, serving as a member of the BioPharm leadership team. Since 1998, Michal has held positions in various sectors of the life science industry including in the Office of the Chief Scientist of Israel (The Incubator program), venture capital (Ofer Brothers Hi Tech) and global pharmaceutical and biotech companies, including various positions at MGVS, an Israeli biotech company and at OSI Pharmaceuticals in a business development role. She received her B.A. in Economics and Business Management from Haifa University, her M.B.A from Tel-Aviv University in Israel and her Master's degree in Biotechnology from Columbia University in New York.


Portfolio companies

Capstan (Board Seat) GentiBio (Board Seat) ForeBio (Board Seat) ImmPACT-Bio (Board Seat) Redona Therapeutics (Board Seat)

Exits

Adicet Bio (IPO) Cavion (Acquired by Jazz Pharmaceuticals) Forma Therapeutics (IPO) Viamet Therapeutics (Acquired by NovaQuest Capital Management)


Board of Directors

Prof. Patrick Aebischer
Dr. Shreeram Aradhye
Dr. Fiona H. Marshall
Dr. Michael Gilman
Dr. Elaine Jones
Harry Kirsch
Prof. Christoph Meier

Prof. Patrick Aebischer is President emeritus of the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) and a member of its Brain Mind Institute. Patrick Aebischer trained as an MD (1980) and a Neuroscientist (1983) at the Universities of Geneva and Fribourg in Switzerland. Prior to joining EPFL, he held Faculty positions at Brown University and the University of Lausanne. He has received numerous honors, including the Robert Bing Prize of the Swiss Academy of Medicine and the Pfizer Foundation Prize for Clinical Neurosciences. He serves as a Senate Member of the "Deutsches Zentrum für Neurodegenerative Erkrankungen (DZNE). He is a member of the scientific committee of the Italian Institute of Technology and a member of the Singapore Biomedical Sciences International Advisory Council. Prof. Aebischer is a member of the Board of Lonza, Nestlé and Logitech and a founder of three biotech companies. He is a senior partner of NanoDimension-III.


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.


Harry Kirsch is the Chief Financial Officer of Novartis and a member of the Executive Committee of Novartis. Prior to his current position, he served as CFO of the company's Pharmaceuticals Division. Under his leadership, the division's core operating income margin increased, in constant currencies, every quarter of 2011 and 2012 despite patent expirations. Harry joined Novartis in 2003 from Procter & Gamble in the United States, where he was a CFO of P&G's global pharmaceutical business and held various finance positions at divisional, regional, country and manufacturing site level, as well as in P&G Global Business Services organization. Harry also represents Novartis on the board of the GSK Consumer Healthcare joint venture. Harry holds a degree in industrial engineering and economics from the University of Karlsruhe in Germany.


Nobel Prize Winner for Chemistry, Coll�ge de France, Paris, Universit� Louis Pasteur, Strasbourg, France.


Director of Research, Institut Curie, Paris, France.


Dr. Christoph A. Meier is the Head of the Department of Internal Medicine at the University Hospital Zurich, and Professor at the Medical Faculty of the University of Geneva. Prior to his current role, he was the Chief Medical Officer and deputy CEO at the University Hospital Basel and, before that, the Chief of the Department of Internal Medicine & Specialties and a member of the Board of Directors at Triemli Hospital in Zurich, Switzerland, as well as Chief of Endocrinology and Head of the Laboratory of Molecular Endocrinology at the University Hospital Geneva. Dr. Meier received his Medical Degree from the University of Basel in Switzerland and holds his Swiss Board Certification (FMH) in Internal Medicine and Endocrinology & Diabetology. Dr. Meier completed his medical residency at the University Hospital of Geneva and was a a Postdoctoral Fellow at the National Institutes of Health in the Molecular, Cellular Nutritional Endocrinology Branch in Bethesda, MD (USA). He was also a Howard Hughes Medical Institute Physician Fellow at the Division of Genetics, Brigham and Women's Hospital, as well as a Clinical Fellow in Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism at the Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School.


Professor of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Member, Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research.


Dr. Beat Steffen is a Managing Director at the Novartis Venture Fund in Basel, Switzerland. Prior to joining NVF, 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.


Portfolio companies

Artios (Observer) CatalYM (Observer) Epsilogen (Observer) FoRx Therapeutics (Board Seat) Rappta (Board Seat) SpliceBio (Board Seat) UZH Life Sciences Fund (Board Seat) Vivet (Board Seat)


Dr. Marianne Uteng is a Managing Director at the Novartis Venture Fund in Basel, Switzerland. Prior to joining NVF, she worked in Novartis Global Drug Development and, before that, in the Pre-Clinical Safety Department at the Novartis Institutes of Biomedical Research, where she led teams delivering health authority-required and non-routine safety assessments for early and late stage programs across many therapeutic areas. Concurrently, she supported the Novartis BD&L Search & Evaluation Team, and spearheaded collaborations with biotechnology companies and academia for development of innovative in vitro/in vivo systems. Marianne received her MSc in biochemistry from the University of Oslo and her PhD in molecular biology, cell biology and biophysics from a joint program between European Molecular Biology Laboratories and the University of Oslo.


Portfolio companies

CatalYM (Board Seat) Epsilogen (Board Seat) Rappta (Observer) Tagworks (Board Seat)

Dr. Adam Cotton is an Associate at the Novartis Venture Fund in Cambridge, MA, USA. Prior to joining NVF, he worked in the labs of Jim Wells and Ian Seiple, focusing on antibody engineering research. During his Ph.D. he worked as a technology analyst at UCSF Innovation Ventures focusing on patentability and commercial viability of UCSF inventions and in RA Capital’s company creation incubator. Through his own research and external projects, he has helped build three companies (co-founder of one) across different stages, modalities, and indications. Adam holds a B.A. in Chemistry from Harvard University, an M.B.A. from the University of New Mexico, and a Ph.D. in Chemistry and Chemical Biology from the University of California, San Francisco.


Portfolio companies

Mediar Therapeutics (Observer)


Dr. Mathias Frederiksen, is a Principal at the Novartis Venture Fund in Basel, Switzerland. Prior to joining NVF, he was a Group Leader at the Novartis Institutes of Biomedical Research (NIBR), where he established a new group, Chromatin Chemical Biology (within the Chemical Biology and Therapeutics Department) focused on elucidating the role of epigenetic regulation in human disease to uncover novel paradigms for chromatin-focused drug discovery. During this time, he was also a member of the portfolio management and strategy team for the Chemical Biology and Therapeutics Group and had leadership roles on numerous open innovation projects. Before that, he was a Senior Investigator and Lab Head in the Chemical Genetics, Global Discovery Chemistry Group and, before that, a Lab Head for the Neuroscience, Global Discovery Chemistry Group at NIBR. Mathias received his B.Sc in Chemistry from Mount Allison University in Canada, his PhD in synthetic organic chemistry from Imperial College, UK and was a GSK Postdoctoral Fellow at Stanford University.


Portfolio companies

UZH Life Sciences Fund (Observer) LoQus23 Therapeutics (Observer)

Dr. Michelle Ma is an Analyst at the Novartis Venture Fund in Cambridge, MA, USA. Prior to joining NVF, she worked in the lab of Eric Fischer and her thesis work focused on elucidating novel mechanisms of degraders with biochemistry and structural biology. Michelle holds a B.A. in Molecular and Cell Biology from UC Berkeley and a Ph.D. in Biochemistry from Harvard University.


Dr. Shreeram Aradhye, M.D., is the President, Global Drug Development & Chief Medical Officer for Novartis and a member of the Executive Committee of Novartis. In this capacity, he is responsible for advancing the Novartis pipeline of investigational medicines to bring transformative new treatment options to patients with serious diseases. Dr. Aradhye took on his current role in May 2022, rejoining the company after spending several years at US biotechnology companies, including leading the development of multiple clinical stage RNAi assets at Dicerna Pharmaceuticals. He first joined Novartis in 1999 and over the course of 20 years held a succession of leadership roles in the US, Switzerland, Germany and India, including Global Head of Medical Affairs for the Pharmaceuticals Business Unit and Development Head for the Neuroscience Franchise. Before joining the life sciences industry, Dr. Aradhye was an attending physician and assistant professor of medicine and a transplant nephrologist at the University of Pennsylvania. He completed his medical training at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences in 1989, after which he received additional specialty training in internal medicine and nephrology in the US.


Dr. Fiona H. Marshall, Ph.D., is the President of the Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research (NIBR) and a member of the Executive Committee of Novartis. Prior to joining Novartis in 2022, she was the Senior Vice President and Global Head of Discovery Sciences, Preclinical Development and Translational Medicine at MSD (Merck & Co in the US). Prior to joining Merck in 2018, Fiona was a Founder and the Chief Scientific Officer of Heptares Therapeutics, a successful UK biotech NVF portfolio company focused on structure-based drug design. In 2015, Heptares was acquired by Japanese biotech company Sosei where she continued as Chief Scientific Officer. Earlier in her career, Fiona was the Director of Molecular Pharmacology at Millennium Pharmaceuticals and spent 10 years at GSK, holding senior positions in Molecular Pharmacology and Neuroscience. She holds a BSc in Biochemistry from University of Bath and a Ph.D. in Neuroscience from University of Cambridge. Fiona is the recipient of the 2012 WISE Women of Outstanding Achievement for Innovation and Entrepreneurship Award, the 2015 RSC Malcolm Campbell Award for chemistry, and the Vane Medal from the British Pharmacological Society. She is a Fellow of the Royal Society and the Academy of Medical Sciences, and an Honorary Fellow of both the British Pharmacological Society and Royal Society of Chemistry.


Dr. Michael Gilman is a scientist, general manager, biotech executive and serial entrepreneur. Mike currently serves on the Boards of Directors of Scholar Rock, X4 Pharmaceuticals, Obsidian Therapeutics and Arrakis Therapeutics, where he is also the Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer. He also serves on the Scientific Advisory Board of FutuRx, a biotech accelerator. Previously, Mike was a Founder and CEO of Padlock Therapeutics, a venture-funded company focused on autoimmune disease, acquired by Bristol-Myers Squibb in 2016. Prior to Padlock, Mike served as Senior Vice President, Early-Stage Pipeline, at Biogen Idec, with responsibility for managing the company`s development programs through clinical proof-of-concept. He joined Biogen Idec in March 2012 following its acquisition of Stromedix, a venture-backed company focused on fibrosis and organ failure, where he was Founder and CEO. Prior to founding Stromedix in 2006, Mike served as Executive Vice President, Research at Biogen Idec, with responsibility for the company`s discovery research activities in Cambridge and San Diego. From 1994 to 1999, Mike was at ARIAD Pharmaceuticals, where he was Executive Vice President and Chief Scientific Officer. From 1986 to 1994, Mike was on the scientific staff of Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory in New York, where his research focused on mechanisms of signal transduction and gene regulation. Mike was a postdoctoral fellow with Dr. Robert Weinberg at the Whitehead Institute. He holds a Ph.D in Biochemistry from University of California, Berkley, and a S.B. in Life Science from Massachusetts Institute of Technology.


Dr. Elaine Jones is an experienced biopharmaceutical executive with more than 20 years of investment experience as a life science-focused venture capitalist. She currently serves on the boards of several public companies, is the Chair of Mironid (UK), and serves as an advisor to InnovateUK, the UK's innovation agency. She was most recently Vice President, Venture Capital at Pfizer Ventures, the corporate venture capital arm of Pfizer, where she was responsible for managing biotechnology and healthcare investments for Pfizer, as well as serving on the board of directors of several biotech companies. Prior to Pfizer, Dr. Jones was a General Partner with EuclidSR Partners, a venture fund focused on the life sciences and technology sectors, as well as in areas where those industries converge to enhance drug discovery, development and marketing. She began her investing career in 1999 at S.R. One, the corporate investment fund of GlaxoSmithKline. During her venture career, she served on the boards of more than 20 early to mid-stage biotechnology, therapeutic and pharmaceutical companies. Previously, she was the Director of Scientific Licensing at SmithKline Beecham and a research scientist in the research and development division of SmithKline Beecham Pharmaceuticals. Dr. Jones received a B.S. in Biology from Juniata College and a Ph.D. in Microbiology from the University of Pittsburgh and conducted post-doctoral research at the National Institutes of Health, in the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease.


Our Portfolio

http://www.enterprisetherapeutics.com/

Enterprise Therapeutics is a drug discovery company dedicated to the research and development of novel therapies for the treatment of respiratory diseases.

https://epsilogen.com/

Epsilogen is a biotechnology company developing immunoglobulin E (IgE) antibodies to treat cancer.

http://www.amphista.com/

Amphista Therapeutics is developing medicines for hard to treat diseases using next generation targeted protein degradation approaches. Its portfolio uses its own novel protein degrading mechanisms which build on the strengths of current protein degradation approaches whilst directly addressing their limitations.

https://anaveon.com/

Anaveon is developing a selective IL-2 Receptor Agonist for the treatment of cancer.

https://www.catalym.com/

CatalYm is developing innovative immunotherapies targeting Growth Differentiation Factor 15 (GDF-15) to transform the tumor microenvironment and to substantially improve treatment options for patients with cancer.

https://www.expansionrx.com/

Expansion Therapeutics is a drug discovery and development company pursuing the vast potential of small molecule medicines for RNA-mediated diseases.

http://www.ribontx.com/

Ribon Therapeutics is a biotechnology company developing first-in-class therapeutics targeting novel enzyme families activated under cellular stress conditions that contribute to disease.

https://www.rappta-therapeutics.com/

Rappta is developing activators of the Protein Phosphatase 2 (PP2A) for the treatment of cancer.

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.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.

https://splice.bio/

SpliceBiois a biotechnology company exploiting Protein Splicing to develop the next generation of gene therapies.

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.

http://www.anokion.com

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.

https://www.mybinxhealth.com

Binx Binx Health is creating new categories of healthcare solutions that put on-demand testing where people need it most. With its proprietary, desktop, PCR-based point-of-care testing platforms and consumer digital offerings, Binx is redefining "convenient care" for the modern consumer.

https://www.7tx.com/

Capstan Therapeutics is a biotechnology company dedicated to advancing in vivo cell reprogramming.

https://www.tagworkspharma.com/

Tagworks Pharmaceuticals, pioneer of the Click-to-Release approach, is a precision therapy company, leveraging its technology platform, which is protected by a broad patent estate, to develop a new standard of care for patients suffering from severe diseases including cancer.

http://www.atlasgenetics.com

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.

Exo Therapeutics, Inc. (exo-therapeutics.com)

Exo Therapeutics is developing small-molecule enzyme inhibitors that target distal binding pockets (exo-sites) to reprogram enzyme activity with a focus on high value oncology indications.

http://www.fore.bio/

Fore Biotherapeutics (formerly NovellusDx) focuses on development of in-licensed, clinical small molecules for targeted oncology applications for people with genetically defined cancers, whose current treatment options are limited.

http://forendo.com/

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://forxtherapeutics.com/

FoRx Therapeutics focusses on the development of novel anticancer therapies by drugging molecular targets that are essential for cancer cells undergoing DNA replication stress.

https://www.gentibio.com/

GentiBio engineers regulatory T-cells in novel biosynthetic ways to address serious unmet medical needs for autoimmunity, alloimmunity, autoinflammation and allergy patients.

Granite Bio Granite Bio is developing novel treatments for inflammation and autoimmunity

https://immpact-bio.com/

ImmPACT is pioneering a novel strategy to surmount a major challenge compromising current Chimeric Antigen Receptor T-cell (CAR-T) therapy. Its technology seeks to address the need to differentiate cancerous from non-cancerous tissues impacting the safety of the treatment which is to date a major limitation in reaching effectiveness.

https://www.immunitastx.com/

Immunitas Therapeutics employs a single cell genomics platform to dissect the biology of immune cells in human tumors, thereby advancing findings directly from the bench into meaningful clinical improvements. The Immunitas focus on human data allows us to start with and stay closer to the biology that is most relevant in patients and greatly accelerates the pace of our research. Our team of scientific pioneers innovates around each step of the drug development process, first identifying novel targets, then designing therapeutic strategies, and developing key biomarkers to guide the selection of patients who may benefit from our new drugs.

https://www.loqus23.com/

LoQus23 is a focusing on targeting DNA damage repair pathways to treat triplet repeat diseases.

https://www.mediartx.com/

Mediar Therapeutics is a biotechnology company pioneering a new approach to fibrosis treatment.

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.

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.

https://www.zikani.com/

At Zikani, we start with a rational approach to designing Ribosome Targeting Molecules (RTMs) that expands the structural diversity of these molecules. Our goal is to develop breakthrough RTMs that are orally delivered, safe and potent for the most difficult diseases.

http://www.neurovance.com

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.

http://www.rapharma.com

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.

http://www.trellisbio.com

Trellis is leveraging its proprietary CellSpotTM technology to deliver higher quality therapeutic monoclonal antibodies. The company has programs in infectious disease.

http://www.altimmune.com

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.

http://www.artiospharma.com/

Artios Pharma Limited is a leading DNA Damage Response (DDR) company focused on developing first-in-class treatments for cancer.

IgA therapeutic monoclonal antibody platform to activate neutrophils for the treatment of solid tumors.

https://redonatx.com/science/

Redona Therapeutics is a focused on the modulation of functional non-coding RNA (ncRNA) to treat cancer and other human diseases.

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

Our Successes

Ablation Frontiers
(M&A)

Acorda Therapeutics
(IPO)

Adenosine Therapeutics
(M&A)

Aeglea Biotherapeutics
(IPO)

Aerpio Therapeutics
(IPO)

Aileron Therapeutics
(IPO)

Akebia Therapeutics
(IPO)

Akouos
(IPO)

Alios BioPharma
(M&A)

Altimmune, Inc.
(IPO)

Annexon
(IPO)

Adicet Bio
(IPO)

Arctos Medical
(M&A)

Avila Therapeutics
(M&A)

Bicycle Therapeutics
(IPO)

BioNano Genomics
(IPO)

Cavion
(M&A)

Celladon
(IPO)

Cellerix
(IPO)

Cequent Pharmaceuticals
(M&A)

CombinatorRx
(IPO)

Covagen
(M&A)

Cytos Biotechnology
(IPO)

Discovery Technologies
(M&A)

Enterprise TMEM16A
(M&A)

EraGen Biosciences
(M&A)

ESBATech
(M&A)

Evolva Holding
(IPO)

Eyetech Pharmaceuticals
(IPO)

FoldRx Pharmaceuticals
(M&A)

Forendo Pharma
(M&A)

Forma Therapeutics
(IPO)

Galera Therapeutics
(IPO)

Genedata AG
(Buyback)

Gensight Biologics
(IPO)

GlycArt Biotechnology
(M&A)

Heptares Therapeutics, Ltd
(M&A)

Idenix Pharmaceuticals
(IPO)

Infinity Pharmaceuticals
(IPO)

Inflazome
(M&A)

Intellikine
(M&A)

IsoTis OrthoBiologics
(IPO)

Kinetix Pharmaceuticals
(M&A)

KuDOS Pharmaceuticals
(M&A)

Lemonaid Health
(M&A)

LigoCyte Pharmaceuticals
(M&A)

Merus
(IPO)

Miikana Therapeutics
(M&A)

Nabriva
(IPO)

Neovacs
(IPO)

Neurovance
(M&A)

Oculis
(IPO)

Okairos
(M&A)

PharmAbcine
(IPO)

Proteostasis
Therapeutics (IPO)

Qurient
(IPO)

Ra Pharmaceuticals
(IPO)

Renovacor
(SPAC)

Silence Therapeutics
(IPO)

Sirtris Pharmaceuticals
(IPO)

Speedel Holding
(IPO)

Symetis
(M&A)

Syrxx
(M&A)

Swiss Pharma Contract
(M&A)

Theravance
(IPO)

Tokai Pharmaceuticals
(IPO)

Torrey Pines Therapeutics
(IPO)

Transform Pharmaceuticals
(M&A)

Tscan
(IPO)

Viamet
(M&A)

Visiogen
(M&A)

Xenoport
(IPO)

Arctos Medical was acquired by Novartis in 2021.

Covagen AG was acquired by Johnson & Johnson in 2014.

Acorda Therapeutics completed a public offering (NASDAQ: ACOR) in 2006.

Ra Pharmaceuticals completed a public offering (NASDAQ: RARX) in 2016.

Tscan completed a public offering (NASDAQ:TCRX) in 2021.

Neurovance was acquired by Otsuka Pharmaceuticals in 2017.

Aerpio Therapeutics completed a public offering (NASDAQ:ARPO) in 2017.

Nabriva completed a public offering (NASDAQ: NBRV) in 2015.

Akebia Therapeutics completed a public offering (NASDAQ: AKBA) in 2014.

Alios BioPharma was acquired by Johnson & Johnson in 2014.

Celladon completed a public offering (NASDAQ: CLDN) in 2014.

Covagen was acquired by Cilag CmbH, an affiliate of the Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson, in 2014.

Tokai Pharmaceuticals completed a public offering (NASDAQ: TKAI) in 2014.

Okairos was acquired by GlaxoSmithKline in 2013.

Oculis (NASDAQ: OCS) completed a public listing via a merger with EBAC in 2023.

PharmAbcine Inc. completed a public offering (KOSDAQ) in 2018.

Avila Therapeutics was acquired by Celgene Corp. in 2012.

Adicet Bio completed a reverse merger into listed resTORbio and became publicly listed (NASDAQ: ACET) in 2020

Inflazome was acquired by Roche in 2020.

Intellikine was acquired by Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Ltd. in 2012.

LigoCyte Pharmaceuticals was acquired by Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Ltd. In 2012.

Cellerix completed a reverse merger into listed Tigenix BV (NYSE: TIG) in 2011.

Enterprise Therapeutics' novel TMEM16A potentiator portfolio was acquired by Roche in 2020.

EraGen Biosciences was acquired by Luminex Corporation in 2011.

Cequent Pharmaceuticals was acquired by MDRNA (now Marina Biotech) in 2010.

Evolva Holding completed a reverse merger into listed Arpida AG (SIX: EVE) in 2010.

FoldRx Pharmaceuticals was acquired by Pfizer, Inc. in 2010.

Forma Therapeutics completed a public offering (NASDAQ: FMTX) in 2020.

Akouos completed a public offering (NASDAQ: AKUS) in 2020.

Galera Therapeutics completed a public offering (NASDAQ:GRTX) in 2019.

Neovacs completed a public offering (Alternext Paris: ALNEV) in 2010.

Ablation Frontiers was acquired by Medtronic, Inc. in 2009.

ESBATech was acquired by Alcon in 2009.

Swiss Pharma Contract was acquired by Covance, Inc. in 2009.

Visiogen was acquired by Abbott Laboratories in 2009.

Adenosine Therapeutics was acquired by Clinical Data, Inc. in 2008.

Aeglea Biotherapeutics completed a public offering (NASDAQ: AGLE) in 2016.

Sirtris Pharmaceuticals completed a public offering (NASDAQ: SIRT) in 2007 and was acquired by GlaxoSmithKline in 2008.

Speedel Holding completed a public offering (SWX: SPPN) in 2005 and was acquired by Novartis in 2008.

Acorda Therapeutics completed a public offering (NASDAQ: ACOR) in 2006.

Infinity Pharmaceuticals completed a reverse merger into Discovery Partners, Inc. (NASDAQ: INFI) in 2006.

KuDOS Pharmaceuticals was acquired by AstraZeneca in 2006.

Lemonaid Health was acquired by 23andMe in 2021.

Heptares Therapeutics, Ltd was acquired by Sosei Group Corporation in 2015.

Miikana Therapeutics was acquired by EntreMed, Inc. (now CASI Pharmaceuticals, Inc.) in 2006.

Symetis was acquired by Boston Scientific in 2017.

Syrxx was acquired by Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Ltd. In 2006.

Torrey Pines Therapeutics completed a reverse merger into Axonyx (NASDAQ: TPTX) in 2006.

CombinatorRx completed a public offering (NASDAQ: CRXX) in 2005.

GlycArt Biotechnology was acquired by F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd. In 2005.

Silence Therapeutics completed a public offering (LON: SLN) in 2005.

Renovacor completed a special purpose acquisition (NASDAQ: RCOR) in 2021.

Transform Pharmaceuticals was acquired by Johnson & Johnson in 2005.

Xenoport completed a public offering (NASDAQ: XNPT) in 2005.

Eyetech Pharmaceuticals completed a public offering (NASDAQ: EYET) in 2004.

Idenix Pharmaceuticals completed a public offering (NASDAQ: IDIX) in 2004.

Kinetix Pharmaceuticals was acquired by Amgen in 2004.

Theravance completed a public offering (NASDAQ: THRX) in 2004.

Cytos Biotechnology completed a public offering (SWX: CYTN) in 2002.

IsoTis OrthoBiologics completed a public offering (SWX: ISON) in 2000.

Discovery Technologies was acquired by Discovery Partners in 1999.

Proteostasis Therapeutics completed a public offering (NASDAQ: PTI) in 2016.

Qurient completed a public offering (KOSDAQ: 115180) in 2016.

Altimmune, Inc. completed a reverse merger into listed PharmAthene, Inc. (NASDAQ: ALT) in 2017.

Annexon completed a public offering (NASDAQ:ANNX) in 2020.

BioNano Genomics completed a public offering (NASDAQ: BNGO) in 2018.

Cavion was acquired by Jazz Pharmaceuticals in 2019.

Viamet Clinical-stage antifungal portfolio acquired by NovaQuest Capital Management in 2018.

Genedata AG GeneData acquired NVF's stake in the company in 2019.

Aileron Therapeutics completed a public offering (NASDAQ) in 2017.

Gensight Biologics completed a public offering (Euronext) in 2016.

Merus completed a public offering ((NASDAQ) in 2016.

Bicycle Therapeutics completed a public offering (NASDAQ: BCYC) in 2019.

Forendo Pharma was acquired by Organon in 2021

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Evaluation and Investment Process

We are stage agnostic (seed to commercial companies) and invest in multiple therapeutic areas where there is clear unmet medical need. Our first step in the process is to review non-confidential information about the company, team, technology / data, financial and exit plan. The further evaluation of business proposals is then based on confidential presentations by the management team that starts the full due diligence process.

Investments by the Novartis Venture Fund are made as equity participation typically as the lead or co-lead investor in a syndicate with a board seat.