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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.
Rani Therapeutics has developed the RaniPill™, a platform technology for the oral delivery of biologic drugs. Millions of patients with chronic conditions require biologic drugs that today can only be injected. These injections are painful and inconvenient and often affect both patient compliance and quality of life. The pharma industry has been searching for decades to convert injectables into pills, and we believe the solution is the RaniPill™ capsule. We have demonstrated bioavailability similar to subcutaneous injections in both preclinical and clinical studies. Rani has an internal pipeline of molecules, and active collaborations with Novartis and Takeda. The research and technology behind Rani Therapeutics came out of InCube Labs, a multi-disciplinary life sciences R&D lab focused on breakthrough medical innovations. InCube is led by Mir Imran, a prolific medical inventor, entrepreneur, and investor.
Metabiota is the pioneer in comprehensive risk analytics that improve the world`s resilience to epidemics. Built on a strong foundation of epidemiology and international field science, including a worldwide network of on-the-ground experts, Metabiota delivers actionable, data-driven insights that help countries, governments and corporations manage and mitigate infectious diseases. With a strategic global presence and sustained partnerships, Metabiota`s agile approach is helping the world track and transfer the risk associated with epidemic threats.
G1 Therapeutics, Inc., is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on the discovery, development and commercialization of novel therapeutics for the treatment of cancer. Two of the company`s pipeline assets, trilaciclib and G1T38, are CDK4/6 inhibitors, a validated and promising class of oncology therapeutics. Trilaciclib and G1T38 have broad therapeutic potential in many forms of cancer and may serve as backbone therapy of multiple combination regimens. Trilaciclib is a short-acting IV CDK4/6 inhibitor designed to preserve hematopoietic stem cell and immune system function (myelopreservation) during chemotherapy. G1T38 is a potential best-in-class oral CDK4/6 inhibitor for use in combination with other targeted therapies. G1 is also advancing G1T48, a potential best-in-class oral selective estrogen receptor degrader, or SERD, which is targeted for the treatment of ER+ breast cancer.
Oceanit Laboratories, Inc. is a Honolulu, HI-based company in the Healthcare, Pharmaceuticals, and Biotech sector.