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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.
Appia Bio is an early stage biotechnology company based in Los Angeles, California. Founded in 2020, Appia Bio is focused on discovering and developing engineered allogeneic cell therapies across a broad array of indications with a scalable technology platform that increases access for patients. With its ACUA (Appia Cells Utilized for Allogeneic) technology platform, Appia Bio leverages the biology of lymphocyte development with chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) and T-cell receptor (TCR) gene engineering to generate CAR-engineered invariant natural killer T (CAR-iNKT) cell subtypes from hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs).
Scout.com Inc is a Seattle, WA-based company in the Healthcare, Pharmaceuticals, and Biotech sector.
Viracta is focused on advancing a proprietary viral gene activation therapy to address cancers associated with the Epstein-Barr Virus, and will pursue opportunities to address other serious virus-associated disease.
We work at the intersection of biology, engineering, and design, developing technologies that emulate human biology. Our products are enabling a new era of precision medicine and the development of applications for personalized health. Our Human Emulation System, which uses Organs-on-Chips technology, is being used by industry, government, and academia to understand how different diseases, medicines, chemicals and foods affect human health. The system offers researchers a new standard for predicting human response — with greater precision and control than today`s cell culture or animal-based experimental methods. We are also leading a bold, new precision medicine initiative with our clinical partners. Named "Patient-on-a-Chip," the program is developing personalized chips with patients` own cells. This initiative will help transform the way each of us understands our own bodies and manages our own health. Research conducted using our Organ-Chips has been published in high-impact scientific journals, including Science. In addition, Organ-Chips have been acquired by the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York for their permanent collection, and have also been awarded Product Design of the Year 2015 by London`s Design Museum. Our founding team pioneered the original Organs-on-Chips technology during their residency within the Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard University.