| Name | Title | Contact Details |
|---|---|---|
Patrick Baumhof |
Senior Vice President of Technology | Profile |
Mariola Fotin-Mleczek |
Chief Technology Officer | Profile |
Mariola Fotin-Mleczek |
Chief Technology Officer | Profile |
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.
Trevena is a publicly traded clinical stage biopharmaceutical company based in King of Prussia, PA, dedicated to the discovery and development of GPCR biased ligands. Established in late 2007, Trevena was created to translate groundbreaking research on GPCR signaling into a new generation of medicines. We have three programs in clinical development: TRV027, currently in phase 2 clinical testing for the treatment of acute heart failure; TRV130, currently in phase 2 testing for the intraveneous treatment of postoperative pain; and TRV734, currently in phase 1 testing for oral treatment of acute and chronic pain. In addition, Trevena has built an early-stage portfolio of drug discovery programs currently in lead optimization. G protein coupled receptors are the targets for more than 30% of all currently marketed therapeutics. There is significant opportunity to improve upon currently marketed GPCR drugs because many have limited efficacy and undesirable adverse effects, which can prevent broader use. Furthermore, many GPCRs are linked to diseases but cannot be translated into medicines because of specific target-related adverse effects. Trevena's biased ligand approach has the potential to address these problems across a wide range of receptors and therapeutic areas.
TLC Biopharmaceuticals is a South San Francisco, CA-based company in the Healthcare, Pharmaceuticals, and Biotech sector.
The mission of Proteonomix, Inc. is to achieve a leadership position in life enhancement regenerative stem cell therapies, services, and products through a combination of first to market technologies, and innovative clinical trial strategies.
Passage Bio was launched with the vision to be a first in class fully-integrated biotech company developing life transforming AAV-delivered in vivo therapeutics for the treatment of rare CNS diseases. In collaboration with the University of Pennsylvania Gene Therapy Program, Philadelphia-based Passage Bio plans to advance a portfolio of 5 rare disease indications in the neuro/CNS genetic space through IND-enabling studies using best-in-class AAV technology and know-how. Subsequently, Passage Bio will be responsible for all clinical development and will collaborate with Penn`s Orphan Disease Center to support these efforts.