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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.
XyloCor Therapeutics is a biopharmaceutical company focused on the development of novel gene therapy for unmet needs in advanced coronary artery disease. In the United States, coronary artery disease is a leading cause of death and disability. The Company`s lead product candidate, XC001, is in clinical development to investigate use for patients with refractory angina for which there are no treatment options. XyloCor also has a secondary product, XC002, in discovery stage, being developed for the treatment of patients with cardiac tissue damage from heart attacks. Co founded by Ronald Crystal, MD, and Todd Rosengart, MD, XyloCor has a licensing agreement with Weill Cornell Medicine for the worldwide rights to develop, manufacture and commercialize XC001.
Ventus is a newly established venture-backed biotech company pursuing small molecule therapeutics targeting key innate immune pathways for numerous auto-immune and auto-inflammatory diseases.
Arizona Benefit Plans is a Phoenix, AZ-based company in the Healthcare, Pharmaceuticals, and Biotech sector.
Rgenta Therapeutics is developing a pipeline of oral, small-molecule RNA-targeting medicines with an initial focus on oncology and neurological disorders. Our proprietary platform mines the massive genomics data to identify targetable RNA processing events and design small-molecule glues to modulate the interactions among the spliceosome, regulatory proteins, and RNAs