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Vium is the first company to create a living informatics platform for preclinical in vivo drug research.
Ÿnsect is the world leader in the production of protein and natural insect fertilizers. Founded in 2011 in Paris, France, by both scientists and environmental activists, Next40 and B Corp-certified, the company processes insects into high-end, high-value ingredients for pets, fish, plants and humans. From its purpose-built state-of-the-art farms, Ÿnsect offers a long-term, sustainable, organic solution to accelerate protein and plant consumption. Ÿnsect uses pioneering proprietary technology covered by 377 patents across 44 categories, to produce lesser and yellow mealworms in fully automated vertical farms. Ÿnsect runs three production sites, one in Dole, France (commissioned 2016), one in the Netherlands (2017), one in the USA (since 2022), and a third site, the world`s largest vertical farm, in Amiens in France, is currently under construction. The company, which employs 360+ people, has raised around $ 500 million from major global investment funds, banks and public bodies and exports its products around the world.
LabConnect is a global provider of clinical trial laboratory services, established in 2002 and based in Seattle, Washington. The company specializes in central laboratory solutions and functional service provider (FSP) support, partnering with pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and clinical research organizations. LabConnect has successfully managed over 1,900 clinical studies across 93 countries, emphasizing agility and innovation through a network of more than 30 laboratory locations worldwide. The company offers a range of services, including project management, a global testing network with over 10,000 validated tests, and comprehensive logistics and biorepository solutions. LabConnect also provides bioanalytical expertise and customized staffing for scientific project management. Its product offerings include customized lab kits for trial sites and integrated data management systems for real-time analytics. With a strong client portfolio that includes major pharmaceutical firms, LabConnect is positioned as a reliable partner for complex clinical trials.
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.
Synlogic is a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing medicines through its proprietary approach to synthetic biology. Synlogic`s pipeline includes its lead program in phenylketonuria (PKU), which has demonstrated proof of concept with plans to start a pivotal, Phase 3 study in the second half of 2022, and additional novel drug candidates designed to treat homocystinuria (HCU) and enteric hyperoxaluria. The rapid advancement of these potential biotherapeutics, called Synthetic Biotics, has been enabled by Synlogic`s proprietary, reproducible, target-specific drug design. Synlogic uses programmable, precision genetic engineering of well-characterized probiotics to exert localized activity for therapeutic benefit, with a focus on metabolic and immunologic diseases. Synlogic is also working with Roche in a research collaboration focused on the discovery of a novel Synthetic Biotic for the treatment of inflammatory bowel disease and with Ginkgo Bioworks to include additional undisclosed preclinical assets, combining Synlogic`s approach to Synthetic Biotics with Ginkgo`s Codebase and Foundry services.