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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.
Solid Biosciences (Solid) is a life science company singularly focused on solving Duchenne muscular dystrophy (Duchenne). We aim to be the center of excellence across the entire disease spectrum, serving as a catalyst to bring together those with the expertise in science, technology, disease management and care. Disease-focused and founded by a family directly impacted, our mandate is simple yet comprehensive - attack the roots of the disease and improve daily life for patients. Solid is headquartered in Cambridge, MA, USA.
Emerald Scientific is a leading supplier of high quality reagents, supplies, equipment, and services to analytical laboratories. Our staff has decades of scientific expertise, and we’re here to help our customers grow while meeting the latest regulatory requirements and making the best decisions for product quality and safety.
VelosBio Inc. is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company committed to developing novel, first-in-class, ROR1-directed therapeutics to transform the lives of patients with cancer. Its lead candidate, VLS-101, is a ROR1-directed ADC being developed for patients with hematologic and solid tumor malignancies. The company is developing a broad pipeline of therapeutics targeting ROR1 in oncologic indications with high unmet medical need.