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Tanox, Inc. is a Houston, TX-based company in the Healthcare, Pharmaceuticals, and Biotech sector.
Comfort Safety Products is a Lowell, MA-based company in the Healthcare, Pharmaceuticals, and Biotech sector.
Ology Bioservices is a private, American biopharmaceutical company headquartered in Alachua, Florida.
Presbia is a medical device company focused on the development of the presbyopia-correcting Presbia Flexivue Microlens™ – an innovative solution for the common age-related loss of the ability to read or focus on near objects. The 3mm diameter lens is implanted in a corneal pocket created by a femtosecond laser.
Kezar co-founder Christopher Kirk, Ph.D. began his work on the unique function of the immunoproteasome at Proteolix in 2005, while working on the compound that would become the successful multiple myeloma drug KYPROLIS™ (carfilzomib). As VP of Research at Onyx Pharmaceuticals, which acquired Proteolix in 2009, Christopher led the efforts to develop the first selective inhibitors of the immunoproteasome and designed multiple studies demonstrating their profound immunomodulatory effects. 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. In 2014, Christopher and Kezar co-founder John Fowler began developing the business plan for Kezar, acting on a longstanding desire to work together and build a world-class company. In 2015, John and Christopher raised $23M and negotiated a worldwide, exclusive license agreement with Amgen for the Onyx immunoproteasome inhibitor patent estate. Now underway, John and Christopher are excited to leverage their complementary skill sets to build Kezar into a leader in small molecule drug development.