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Receptor Life Sciences, Inc. develops inhaled therapeutic products for conditions including chronic pain, neurologic diseases, and inflammatory disorders.
BioCryst Pharmaceuticals, Inc. is one of the leading companies in the Healthcare, Pharmaceuticals, and Biotech sector.
Threshold Pharmaceuticals, Inc. is a Redwood City, CA-based company in the Healthcare, Pharmaceuticals, and Biotech sector.
Spirovant is a gene therapy company focused on changing the course of cystic fibrosis and other respiratory diseases. The company`s current investigational gene therapy technologies are designed to overcome the historical barriers that have prevented effective genetic treatments for cystic fibrosis. Spirovant`s lead programs are in development for cystic fibrosis. Spirovant is a wholly owned subsidiary of Sumitovant Biopharma Ltd., which is itself a wholly owned subsidiary of Sumitomo Dainippon Pharma Co., Ltd. Spirovant is located in Philadelphia, PA.
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.