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GrayBug® is a platform drug delivery company that is developing proprietary controlled release technologies for ophthalmic pharmaceutical indications. The company`s lead product is a polymer-drug biomolecular conjugate for the treatment of neovascular diseases, including age-related macular degeneration (AMD). GrayBug also has a proprietary platform technology that allows sustained drug delivery into various compartments of the eye while minimizing inflammation common with current controlled release technologies applied to the eye.
ConjuGon Inc is a Madison, WI-based company in the Healthcare, Pharmaceuticals, and Biotech sector.
Q-State Biosciences is a technology-derived medicines company based in Cambridge, MA, that combines advanced human cellular models, unique measurement engineering and AI / machine learning into a proprietary platform that enables novel discovery of optimized genetically targeted medicines for epilepsy, pain, and other diseases of the CNS.
AmerisourceBergen Drug Corporation is a Wayne, PA-based company in the Healthcare, Pharmaceuticals, and Biotech sector.
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.