BioTheryX Announces Appointment of Sahm Nasseri as Chief Business Officer

SAN DIEGO, Jan. 20, 2022 — BioTheryX, Inc., a clinical-stage company focused on targeted protein degradation to create life-saving medicines, today announced the appointment of Sahm Nasseri as Chief Business Officer.

“Sahm is an accomplished biopharma leader with impressive experience in business development, corporate strategy, commercialization and program management. His expertise and leadership, most recently growing the U.S operations of an international biotech company and previously leading global commercial franchises for Merck, will help advance our pipeline of best-in-class protein degraders,” said Philippe Drouet, President and Chief Executive Officer of BioTheryX. “As the company’s first Chief Business Officer, Sahm will play an important role in establishing relationships with potential collaborators as we continue to expand our research and development programs.”

Mr. Nasseri previously served as Chief Executive Officer of PYC Therapeutics, an RNA therapeutics company based in the United States and Australia, where he built out the Company’s U.S. presence and preclinical, clinical and corporate development teams. Prior to this, Mr. Nasseri served at Merck & Co for seven years as a leader across business development, investor relations and corporate strategy functions where he gained extensive commercial drug development experience. He led global strategy for Merck’s growing oncology organization and served as interim Vice President and Global Product Leader for Merck’s HPV Vaccines, a family of vaccines with over $4 billion in annual revenue. Before Merck, Mr. Nasseri worked as a strategy consultant for McKinsey & Company. Mr. Nasseri holds a Bachelor of Chemical Engineering from the University of New South Wales in Sydney and an MBA from Columbia Business School in New York City.

“The outstanding team at BioTheryX has spent years building the leading targeted protein degradation platform in the industry. This PRODEGY platform is now poised to make a significant impact on patients with cancer with the lead protein degrader program entering Phase 1 clinical trials,” said Mr. Nasseri. “I am passionate about bridging great science towards the efficient development of medicines that can address important unmet patient needs and as such, I am excited to join BioTheryX and support the ongoing growth of the company and the continued development of its pipeline of first-in-class and best-in-class protein degradation therapies.”

About BioTheryX, Inc.

BioTheryX is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company dedicated to improving the lives of patients suffering from cancer, inflammatory and immunological diseases through the discovery, development and commercialization of targeted protein degradation therapies. We leverage our proprietary PRODEGY technology platform and differentiated targeted protein degradation approach to design small molecules that regulate protein homeostasis. We believe our approach is applicable to a broad range of diseases and has the ability to address protein targets that have historically been considered undruggable. Our initial programs are focused on oncology indications with high unmet medical need. For more information, please visit www.biotheryx.com and engage with us on LinkedIn.

Contacts:

Investors/Media
[email protected]

BioTheryX Receives IND Clearance from FDA to Proceed with Phase 1 Study of BTX-1188, a Molecular Glue, for the Treatment of Hematologic and Solid Malignancies

Enrollment for Phase 1 Clinical Trial to Commence by End of 2021

SAN DIEGO, Nov. 2, 2021 /PRNewswire/ —

BioTheryX, Inc., a clinical-stage company focused on targeted protein degradation to create life-saving medicines, today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) cleared the company to proceed with a Phase 1 clinical trial of BTX-1188 in hematologic and solid malignancies.

BTX-1188 is a novel oral small molecule cereblon binder that has immunomodulatory properties and promotes the degradation of a neosubstrate G1 to S phase transition 1 (GSPT1), a translation termination factor, as well as IKZF1/3, zinc finger transcription factors important in hematological function. By degrading multiple proteins including GSPT1 and IKZF1/3, BTX-1188’s profile is expected to be differentiated from protein degraders that exclusively target GSPT1. BTX-1188 has demonstrated promising preclinical activity against a variety of leukemias and solid tumors.

“The FDA clearance to begin our Phase 1 study for BTX-1188 is a major milestone for BioTheryX, which represents our first molecular glue to enter clinical development, and the second IND clearance for our pipeline,” said Zung Thai, M.D., Ph.D., Chief Medical Officer of BioTheryX. “We plan to study BTX-1188 in patients with hematological and solid malignancies who have limited treatment options and for whom new therapies are desperately needed. We expect to initiate patient enrollment in the Phase I study by year end.”

The Phase I clinical trial is designed to assess the safety and tolerability of BTX-1188 and to determine the recommended Phase 2 dose. Following determination of the recommended Phase 2 dose, the company plans to further evaluate the safety and efficacy of BTX-1188 in expansion cohorts in both hematological and solid tumor malignancies.

About BioTheryX, Inc.

BioTheryX is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on restoring protein homeostasis, including protein degradation and modulation, and multi-kinase inhibition to develop treatments intended to extend and improve the quality-of-life of patients with cancer and other diseases. Our principal technology platform centers on targeted protein degradation, ‘molecular glues’ and Proteolysis Targeting Chimeras, that enable the design of small molecules to regulate protein equilibrium. This technology is designed to utilize the body’s own protein disposal system to selectively degrade and remove disease-causing proteins. It has potential applicability for a broad range of diseases, including targets that have to date been considered ‘undruggable’, and BioTheryX is initially focused on treating oncology indications with high unmet need.  For more information, please visit www.biotheryx.com and engage with us on LinkedIn.

Contact

Media and Investor Contact:
Amy Conrad, Juniper Point
(858) 366-3243
[email protected]

BioTheryX Announces Appointment of Philippe Drouet as Chief Executive Officer

SAN DIEGO, Oct. 28, 2021 /PRNewswire/ —

BioTheryX, Inc., a clinical-stage company focused on targeted protein degradation to create life-saving medicines, today announced the appointment of Philippe Drouet as President and Chief Executive Officer of BioTheryX.

“Philippe is an extremely talented biopharma executive with more than two decades of global experience in commercializing blockbuster oncology therapeutics. He has worked to advance products through clinical development, successfully launched them, and most importantly made them available to patients. His proven track record in building effective high performing teams will position us well to advance our pipeline of protein degraders and modulators to create life-saving medicines for patients,” said David Stirling, Ph.D., Executive Chairman of BioTheryX. “The Board and I welcome him as CEO, and we are excited to have him lead our company as we build on our expertise in protein modulation-based drug development.”

Prior to joining BioTheryX, Mr. Drouet served as Chief Commercial Officer at CRISPR Therapeutics where he shaped the strategy for the launch of the company’s first allogeneic CAR-T therapies and helped lead the clinical development strategy for the company’s phase I clinical assets. Previously, Philippe served as Senior Vice President, Global Oncology at Merck & Co. where he launched and commercialized Keytruda®, drove substantial global oncology revenue and built and led the company’s Global Oncology Marketing, Access and Pricing organization.  Prior to that, he served as President of Hospira’s U.S. division before Hospira’s acquisition by Pfizer in 2015. Philippe also held roles of increasing responsibility at Novartis Pharmaceutical Corporation, including Vice President U.S. Hematology, General Manager Oncology in Turkey, Global Brand Leader for Gleevec® and Head of Oncology Marketing in Canada. Philippe received an MBA from INSEAD in France and a Master of Science and Bachelor in Chemical Engineering from McGill University, Canada.

“I am excited to join BioTheryX and lead the company through its next stage of rapid growth as it expands its programs in the fast-paced category of protein degradation,” said Mr. Drouet. “BioTheryX has built one of the leading scientific teams and most promising pipelines in the protein degradation space. I look forward to working alongside this outstanding team to build our clinical-stage program for liquid and solid tumors and develop first-in-class therapies in areas of high unmet medical need in oncology and other diseases.”

About BioTheryX, Inc.

BioTheryX is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company dedicated to improving the lives of patients suffering from cancer and inflammatory and immunological diseases through the discovery, development and commercialization of therapies that restore protein homeostasis through targeted protein degradation and modulation, and multi-kinase inhibition. We leverage our proprietary Protein Homeostatic Modulator technology platform and differentiated targeted protein degradation approach to design small molecules that regulate protein homeostasis. We believe our approach is applicable to a broad range of diseases, in particular those driven by protein targets that have been considered undruggable. Our initial programs are focused on oncology indications with high unmet medical need. For more information, please visit www.biotheryx.com and engage with us on LinkedIn.

Contact

Media and Investor Contact:
Amy Conrad, Juniper Point
(858) 366-3243
[email protected]

BioTheryX Announces Appointments of Three New Members to its Board of Directors

SAN DIEGO, Aug. 6, 2021 /PRNewswire/ —

BioTheryX, Inc., a clinical-stage company focused on creating life-saving medicines through targeted protein degradation, today announced the appointments of Nancy Miller-Rich, John A. Hohneker, M.D., and Diantha Duvall to its Board of Directors.

“The wealth of biotech leadership and industry knowledge that Nancy, John, and Diantha bring to our board will be invaluable as we advance our pipeline and execute on our strategic goals,” said David Stirling, Ph.D., President and CEO of BioTheryX.  “Nancy is a veteran life sciences executive and board member with significant expertise in corporate and commercial strategy.  John brings extensive drug development experience to BioTheryX and has been instrumental in the approval and commercialization of seven drugs across multiple therapeutic categories.  Diantha is a well-respected public company executive with experience across a broad range of financial and business disciplines that underpin biotech and large pharmaceutical company operations.  We look forward to Nancy, John, and Diantha’s guidance as we aim to build a leading protein degradation company.”

Appointee Bios:

Nancy Miller-Rich has 35 years of experience in the healthcare industry, with significant expertise in business development and commercial strategy. Since September 2017, Ms. Miller-Rich has served as a consultant to the pharmaceutical industry. Previously, Ms. Miller-Rich served in a number of leadership roles at Merck & Co., Inc. and, prior to the merger of the two companies, at Schering-Plough Corporation, including most recently as Senior Vice President, Global Human Health Business Development & Licensing, Strategy and Commercial Support and as Group Vice President, Consumer Care Global New Ventures and Strategic Commercial Development. Prior to joining Schering-Plough, Ms. Miller-Rich served in a variety of commercial and marketing roles at Sandoz Pharmaceuticals and Sterling Drug, Inc. She is currently a director of Aldeyra Therapeutics, Inc., Intercept Pharmaceuticals, Kadmon Holdings, Inc., and 4D Molecular Therapeutics, Inc., as well as a board member of a number of private and not-for-profit entities. She received her B.S. in Business Administration, Marketing from Ithaca College in Ithaca, New York.

John A. Hohneker, M.D. brings over 30 years of drug development and leadership experience within the biotech and pharmaceutical industry to the BioTheryX board.  He has served in several key leadership roles including as President and CEO of Anokion SA and President of Research and Development at FORMA Therapeutics Inc., where he guided the Company’s transition from a discovery-stage biotech to one with multiple programs in clinical trials.  He also held several roles at Novartis AG, most recently as Senior Vice President and Global Head of Development for Immunology and Dermatology, where he led the development and registration of Cosentyx® and Ilaris®.  During his tenure at Novartis, Dr. Hohneker also played a key role in the development, approval, and commercialization of several products including Gleevec®, Tasigna®, Zometa®, Afinitor® and Exjade®.  Prior to joining Novartis, he held positions of increasing responsibility at Glaxo Wellcome and its legacy company, Burroughs Wellcome. He received an MD from the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey at Rutgers Medical School.  Dr. Hohneker completed his internship and residency in Internal Medicine and his fellowship in Medical Oncology at the University of North Carolina Hospitals.

Diantha Duvall is an experienced financial and business leader in the life sciences sector who currently serves as Chief Financial Officer of Genocea, a leading cancer immunotherapy company.  Prior to joining Genocea in 2019, Ms. Duvall held several positions of increasing responsibility including Vice President, Controller and Chief Accounting Officer at Bioverativ, Inc., U.S. and Global Commercial Controller at Biogen, and Executive Director at Merck and Co.  While at Merck, her experiences spanned roles in venture investment, business development, joint ventures, and alliances, as well as operational controls and technical accounting.  In addition, she gained extensive experience in SEC reporting, Sarbanes Oxley compliance, transaction support and risk management while at PricewaterhouseCoopers.  Ms. Duvall received a bachelor’s degree in Economics and Public Policy from Colby College and masters’ degrees in both Accounting and Business Administration from Northeastern University. Ms. Duvall is a Certified Public Accountant licensed in the state of Massachusetts.

About BioTheryX, Inc.

BioTheryX is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company dedicated to improving the lives of patients suffering from cancer and inflammatory and immunological diseases through the discovery, development and commercialization of therapies that restore protein homeostasis through targeted protein degradation and modulation, and multi-kinase inhibition. We leverage our proprietary Protein Homeostatic Modulator technology platform and differentiated targeted protein degradation approach to design small molecules that regulate protein homeostasis. We believe our approach is applicable to a broad range of diseases, in particular those driven by protein targets that have been considered undruggable. Our initial programs are focused on oncology indications with high unmet medical need.  For more information, please visit www.biotheryx.com and engage with us on LinkedIn.

Contact

Media and Investor Contact:
Amy Conrad, Juniper Point
(858) 366-3243
[email protected]

BioTheryX Announces First Patient Dosed with BTX-A51 in Phase 1 Clinical Trial in Patients with Advanced Solid Tumors

SAN DIEGO, June 9, 2021 /PRNewswire/ —

BioTheryX, Inc., a clinical-stage company focused on degrading proteins to create life-saving medicines, today announced the dosing of the first patient in a dose escalation clinical trial of BTX-A51 in advanced solid tumor malignancies that are dependent upon MYC, one of the most commonly known oncogenic drivers. BTX-A51, the company’s lead multi-kinase inhibitor is also currently in a phase 1 dose escalation clinical trial for advanced hematological malignancies.

“This is a significant milestone for BioTheryX, as we look to deliver a much-needed therapeutic option to patients with advanced solid tumor malignancies that are dependent upon MYC,” said Robert Williamson, President and CEO of BioTheryX.  “We are excited for the potential of BTX-A51 to provide a meaningful therapeutic option for patients and are working aggressively to advance our pipeline of molecular glues, Proteolysis Targeting Chimeras and monovalent degraders towards the clinic.”

BTX-A51 is an oral small molecule, multi-kinase inhibitor designed to block a specific leukemic stem cell target (CK1α) as well as super enhancer targets (CDK7/CDK9) preventing transcription of key oncogenic genes. This therapeutic mechanism entails activation of p53, an important tumor suppressor, and its sustained stabilization by super-enhancer shutdown of MDM2, a protein degrader of p53, in combination with transcriptional shutdown of leukemia oncogenes, such as MYC and MCL-1.  Blocking CKIα, CDK7, and CDK9 augments and synergistically stabilizes p53 and downregulates MYC and MCL-1 promoting the rapid killing of leukemia cells as well as leukemic stem cells. Pre-clinical results have been published in a peer-reviewed Cell article, demonstrating BTX-A51’s favorable efficacy in animals.

“In the fight against solid tumor cancers, which have extremely poor survival rates and limited treatment options, clinical trials with new therapies are desperately needed,” added Zung Thai, M.D., Ph.D., Chief Medical Officer of BioTheryX.  “We are excited to be initiating the dose escalation portion of this study and progressing to the selection of the Phase 2 dose.”

BioTheryX’s Phase 1 clinical trial of BTX-A51 is currently ongoing and recruiting patients.   The clinical trial is designed to assess the safety and tolerability of BTX-A51 and to determine the recommended Phase 2 dose.  Following determination of the recommended Phase 2 dose, we plan to further evaluate the safety and efficacy of BTX-A51 in expansion cohorts in both hematological and solid tumor malignancies.

About BioTheryX, Inc.

BioTheryX is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on restoring protein homeostasis, including protein degradation and modulation, and multi-kinase inhibition to develop treatments intended to extend and improve the quality-of-life of patients with cancer and other diseases. Our principal technology platform centers on targeted protein degradation, PHM® ‘molecular glues’, that enable the design of small molecules to regulate protein equilibrium. This technology is designed to utilize the body’s own protein disposal system to selectively degrade and remove disease-causing proteins. It has potential applicability for a broad range of diseases, including targets that have to date been considered ‘undruggable’, and BioTheryX is initially focused on treating oncology indications with high unmet need.  For more information, please visit www.biotheryx.com and engage with us on LinkedIn.

Contact

Media and Investor Contact:
Amy Conrad, Juniper Point
(858) 366-3243
[email protected]

BioTheryX to Present at the 2021 Jefferies Virtual Healthcare Conference

SAN DIEGO, May 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ —

BioTheryX, Inc., a clinical-stage company focused on degrading proteins to create life-saving medicines, today announced that the company will present virtually at the 2021 Jefferies Virtual Healthcare Conference on Tuesday, June 1st, 2021 at 1:30 pm ET.   A live webcast of the presentation can be accessed here and will be made available on the company’s website under the Events section.

Robert Williamson, President and CEO, will present an overview on the company’s targeted protein degradation platform, its clinical stage oncology pipeline, and the management team will participate with him in 1x1s with investors.

About BioTheryX, Inc.

BioTheryX is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on restoring protein homeostasis, including protein degradation and modulation, and multi-kinase inhibition to develop treatments intended to extend and improve the quality-of-life of patients with cancer and other diseases. Our principal technology platform centers on targeted protein degradation, PHM® ‘molecular glues’, that enable the design of small molecules to regulate protein equilibrium. This technology is designed to utilize the body’s own protein disposal system to selectively degrade and remove disease-causing proteins. It has potential applicability for a broad range of diseases, including targets that have to date been considered ‘undruggable’, and BioTheryX is initially focused on treating oncology indications with high unmet need.  For more information, please visit www.biotheryx.com and engage with us on LinkedIn.

Contact

Media and Investor Contact:
Amy Conrad, Juniper Point
(858) 366-3243
[email protected]

BioTheryX Announces $92M Series E Financing to Accelerate Development of Targeted Protein Degradation Pipeline and Technology Platform in Oncology

First molecular glue program, BTX-1188, expected to enter the clinic by the end of 2021

Additional protein degradation programs on track for IND-enabling activities in 2022

Multi kinase inhibitor, BTX-A51, to continue in Phase 1 with expansion into solid tumors

SAN DIEGO, May 20, 2021 /PRNewswire/ —

BioTheryX, Inc., a clinical-stage company focused on degrading proteins to create life-saving cancer medicines, today announced a $92 million Series E financing led by Farallon Capital Management, with participation from additional new investors Avidity Partners, Deep Track Capital, Irving Investors, Janus Henderson Investors, Lumira Ventures, Point72, Rock Springs Capital, Surveyor Capital, Tekla Capital Management, Alexandria Venture Investors and Wedbush Healthcare Partners, and existing investors.

The proceeds from the financing will be used to advance multiple molecular glues, PHM-based Proteolysis Targeting Chimeras and monovalent degraders, including BTX-1188, toward clinical development.  BioTheryX also plans to advance the clinical development of its lead multi-kinase inhibitor, BTX-A51, for the treatment of acute myeloid leukemia, myelodysplastic syndromes and solid tumors.

“We are pleased to have the support of an elite group of investors who share BioTheryX’s vision of realizing the promise of targeted protein degradation and delivering benefit to patients,” said Robert Williamson, President and CEO of BioTheryX.  “With this financing, we are well positioned to execute our plans to bring our first molecular glue program BTX-1188 into the clinic by the end of 2021, expand our platform of molecular glues, Proteolysis Targeting Chimeras and monovalent degraders and progress our lead program BTX-A51 through Phase 1.”

About BioTheryX, Inc.

BioTheryX is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on restoring protein homeostasis, including protein degradation and modulation, and multi-kinase inhibition to develop treatments intended to extend and improve the quality-of-life of patients with cancer and other diseases. Our principal technology platform centers on targeted protein degradation, PHM® ‘molecular glues’, that enable the design of small molecules to regulate protein equilibrium. This technology is designed to utilize the body’s own protein disposal system to selectively degrade and remove disease-causing proteins. It has potential applicability for a broad range of diseases, including targets that have to date been considered ‘undruggable’, and BioTheryX is initially focused on treating oncology indications with high unmet need.  For more information, please visit www.biotheryx.com and engage with us on LinkedIn.

Contact

Media and Investor Contact:
Amy Conrad, Juniper Point
(858) 366-3243
[email protected]

BioTheryX Announces Expansion of Scientific Advisory Board with Appointment of Brenda Schulman

SAN DIEGO, May 18, 2021 /PRNewswire/ —

BioTheryX, Inc., a clinical-stage company focused on degrading proteins to create life-saving medicines, today announced the expansion of its Scientific Advisory Board (SAB) with the appointment of Brenda Schulman, Ph.D., Director of the Department of Molecular Machines and Signaling at Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry, Honorary Professor at Technical University of Munich, and adjunct faculty at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.

“Brenda is a highly decorated biochemist and a recognized key opinion leader in the field of protein degradation and ubiquitin biology. We are excited to welcome her to our SAB,” said Robert Williamson, President and CEO of BioTheryX. “She will be an invaluable resource to the BioTheryX SAB and scientific team, advising on our research platform and pipeline, and we are eager to benefit from her expertise.”

Dr. Schulman received her Ph.D. from MIT studying protein folding with Peter Kim before developing an interest in the regulation of protein degradation during her postdoctoral studies first at MGH Cancer Center with Ed Harlow, and then at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center with Nikola Pavletich. Dr. Schulman’s research group studies biochemical mechanisms underlying regulation by ubiquitin and autophagy pathways. Her lab has developed methods and tools to probe fleeting intermediates in ubiquitin and ubiquitin-like protein transfer cascades, and implemented them to determine the structural mechanisms of major families of E3 ligases, with a particular focus on dynamic multiprotein complexes including cullin-RING E3 ligases. Dr. Schulman is an elected member of American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the National Academy of Sciences, EMBO, and the German National Academy Leopoldina, and has been recognized by awards including most recently the Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Prize and Ernst Jung Prize for Medicine.

“I’m thrilled to be joining the accomplished team at BioTheryX by serving on the company’s SAB,” commented Dr. Schulman. “BioTheryX’s compelling and competitive platform creates a wealth of potential applications to degrade proteins with molecular glues, PHM based Proteolysis Targeting Chimeras, and monovalent degraders. I look forward to leveraging my expertise in this area and helping to advance BioTheryX to its next stages of growth.”

The backgrounds of the entire BioTheryX SAB can be found on the leadership page of the company’s website at https://biotheryx1.wpengine.com/about-us/#leadership.

About BioTheryX, Inc.

BioTheryX is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on restoring protein homeostasis, including protein degradation and modulation, and multi-kinase inhibition to develop treatments intended to extend and improve the quality-of-life of patients with cancer and other diseases. Our principal technology platform centers on targeted protein degradation, PHM® ‘molecular glues’, that enable the design of small molecules to regulate protein equilibrium. This technology is designed to utilize the body’s own protein disposal system to selectively degrade and remove disease-causing proteins. It has potential applicability for a broad range of diseases, including targets that have to date been considered ‘undruggable’, and BioTheryX is initially focused on treating oncology indications with high unmet need. For more information, please visit www.biotheryx.com and engage with us on LinkedIn.

Contact

Media and Investor Contact:
Amy Conrad, Juniper Point
(858) 366-3243
[email protected]

BioTheryX to Present at 2021 RBC Capital Markets Global Healthcare Conference

SAN DIEGO, May 4, 2021 /PRNewswire/ —

BioTheryX, Inc., a clinical-stage company focused on degrading proteins to create life-saving medicines, today announced that the company will present virtually at the 2021 RBC Capital Markets Global Healthcare Conference on Thursday, May 20th, 2021 at 12:05 pm ET.

Rob Williamson, President and CEO, will present an overview on the company’s targeted protein degradation platform, its clinical stage oncology pipeline, and the management team will participate in 1x1s with investors.

About BioTheryX, Inc.

BioTheryX is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on restoring protein homeostasis, including protein degradation and modulation, and multi-kinase inhibition to develop treatments intended to extend and improve the quality-of-life of patients with cancer and other diseases. Our principal technology platform centers on targeted protein degradation, PHM® ‘molecular glues’, that enable the design of small molecules to regulate protein equilibrium. This technology is designed to utilize the body’s own protein disposal system to selectively degrade and remove disease-causing proteins. It has potential applicability for a broad range of diseases, including targets that have to date been considered ‘undruggable’, and BioTheryX is initially focused on treating oncology indications with high unmet need. For more information, please visit www.biotheryx.com and engage with us on LinkedIn.

Contact

Media and Investor Contact:
Amy Conrad, Juniper Point
(858) 366-3243
[email protected]

BioTheryX Announces Expansion of Scientific Advisory Board

SAN DIEGO, April 7, 2021 /PRNewswire/ —

BioTheryX, Inc., a clinical-stage company focused on degrading proteins to create life-saving medicines, today announced the expansion of its Scientific Advisory Board (SAB) with the appointment of three new members: David Komander, Ph.D., Kevan M. Shokat, Ph.D. and Peter Walter, Ph.D.  The newly appointed members will work with the company’s current SAB members and with BioTheryX’s leadership team.

“We’re thrilled to add greater depth and breadth to our SAB with the additions of David, Kevan and Peter, who are world-leading experts in targeted protein degradation and oncology drug development,” said Rob Williamson, President and CEO of BioTheryX.  “We look forward to their contributions as we progress our lead A51 program through Phase 1, advance our first molecular glue program 1188 into the clinic which is planned for the second half of 2021, and continue to expand our platform of molecular glues, Proteolysis Targeting Chimeras and monovalent degraders for promising cancer targets.”

The backgrounds of the SAB members, including the new appointments, are as follows:

Yinon Ben-Neriah, M.D., Ph.D.

Dr. Ben-Neriah received his M.D. from Tel Aviv University and Ph.D. from the Weizmann Institute of Science and was a postdoctoral fellow in Nobel Laureate Dr. David Baltimore’s lab at the Whitehead Institute-MIT. His research work focuses on signaling pathways regulating innate immunity and inflammation, particularly in the context of cancer. His lab deciphered key steps in the activation of the NFkB and Wnt signaling pathways and studied them in animal models of cancer. Dr. Ben-Neriah is an elected member of the European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO), a spokesman of the International German Israeli Graduate Student program SignGene, Chair of the advisory board of the BIOSS Excellence Center of Freiburg University (Germany), and Adjunct Professor in Shanghai Jiao Tong University. In December 2019, Dr. Ben-Neriah was awarded the EMET Prize, also known as ‘Israel’s Nobel Prize’, in the Life Sciences category for his “important scientific contribution to understanding immune signaling processes and decoding abnormal signal transmission mechanisms in cancer cells”.  In addition, Dr. Ben-Neriah has also been awarded the Rappaport Prize, for his biomedical research, Columbia University’s Schaefer Research Scholar Award, the Teva Founders Prize, and the Landau Prize.

Aaron Ciechanover, M.D., D.SC (Chair of SAB)

Dr. Ciechanover is a Distinguished Research Professor in the Technion – Israel Institute of Technology in Haifa.  He received his M.Sc. (1971) and M.D. (1973) from the Hebrew University in Jerusalem. Following national service as military physician (1973-1976), he continued his studies to obtain a doctorate in biological sciences (D.Sc., Technion, 1982). There, as a graduate student with Dr. Avram Hershko, they discovered that covalent attachment of ubiquitin to a target protein signals it for degradation. As a post-doctoral fellow with Dr. Harvey Lodish at the M.I.T., he continued his studies on the ubiquitin system and made additional important discoveries.  Ciechanover has received numerous awards including the 2000 Albert Lasker Award, the 2003 Israel Prize, and the 2004 Nobel Prize (Chemistry; shared with Drs. Hershko and Rose). Among many academies, Dr. Ciechanover is a member of the Israeli National Academy of Sciences and Humanities, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences (Foreign Fellow), the American Philosophical Society, the National Academy of Sciences of the USA and the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies of the USA (Foreign Associate), and the Russian Academy of Sciences (Foreign Member).

David Komander, Ph.D.

Dr. David Komander is Head of the Ubiquitin Signaling Division at the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research (WEHI) in Melbourne, Australia. He received his PhD from the University of Dundee, and worked as a Beit Memorial Fellow at the Institute of Cancer Research in London, before starting a prolific lab at the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge UK (2008-18). The Komander lab has developed various methods to interrogate the complexity in the ubiquitin code, and uncovered the molecular basis for specificity in the ubiquitin system in E3 ligases, ubiquitin binding domains, and deubiquitinases (DUBs), discovering unappreciated linkage preferences in OTU DUBs, new human enzymes including OTULIN, and establishing DUBs as drug targets. In the last few years, his lab has structurally characterized all key components mediating the ubiquitin-dependent degradation of mitochondria via PINK1/Parkin-mediated mitophagy, providing the molecular underpinning of early-onset parkinsonism. At WEHI, David now also has access to state-of-the-art facilities to interrogate ubiquitin enzymes at the physiological level, and to develop small molecule probes and inhibitors to enable drug discovery. David is a member of EMBO, and a Lister Fellow.

Robert Orlowski, M.D., Ph.D.

Dr. Orlowski is Chairman, Ad Interim, Director of Myeloma, and Professor of Medicine in the Departments of Lymphoma/Myeloma and Professor, Experimental Therapeutics, Division of Cancer Medicine, at the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas. He is board-certified in internal medicine and medical oncology. Dr. Orlowski earned his doctoral degree in molecular biophysics and biochemistry from Yale University and his medical degree from the Yale University School of Medicine. He completed his internship and residency in Internal Medicine at Barnes Hospital at the Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine.  Dr. Orlowski has published numerous book chapters, articles, and abstracts on cancer therapy, with a focus on the molecular pathogenesis of oncologic disease processes and the mechanisms of action of chemotherapeutics.

Kevan M. Shokat, Ph.D.

Dr. Shokat is an Investigator of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Professor in the Department of Cellular and Molecular Pharmacology at the University of California at San Francisco and Professor in the Department of Chemistry at the University of California at Berkeley.  He received his B.A. in Chemistry from Reed College in 1986, his Ph.D. in organic chemistry at UC Berkeley with Professor Peter Schultz and carried out post-doctoral work in cellular immunology at Stanford University with Professor Chris Goodnow. Kevan’s research group is focused on the discovery of new small molecule tools and drug candidates targeting protein/lipid kinases, GTPases, and RNA helicases. His laboratory utilizes the tools of synthetic organic chemistry, protein engineering, structural biology, biochemistry and cell biology. He was inducted into the National Academy of Sciences (2010), the National Academy of Medicine (2011), and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences (2011).  He has commercialized discoveries from his laboratory through co-founding several biotechnology companies including Intellikine, Araxes, Wellspring Biosciences, Kura Oncology, eFFECTOR Therapeutics, Mitokinin, Revolution Medicines and Kumquat Biosciences.

Peter Walter, Ph.D.

Dr. Walter is a distinguished professor of biochemistry and biophysics at University of California, San Francisco, serving as Department Chair from 2001 until 2008.  At UCSF, Dr. Walter and his team are identifying the machinery and mechanisms that ensure proper protein synthesis, folding, and targeting, as well as the pathways that allow organelles to communicate and regulate their abundance.  Since 1997, Dr. Walter has been an investigator of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. He is the 2016 President of the American Society of Cell Biology and an elected member of several prestigious scientific societies such as the German Academy of Natural Scientists Leopoldina, the U.S. National Academy of Sciences, the U.S. National Academy of Medicine, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and the European Molecular Biology Organization. He is a co-author of the textbooks Molecular Biology of the Cell and Essential Cell Biology, two of the world’s most widely used standard works in the field of molecular cell biology. Among the many awards he has received are the Eli Lilly Award in Biological Chemistry, the Passano Award, the Wiley Prize in Biomedical Sciences, the Stein & Moore Award from the Protein Society, the Gairdner Award, the E.B. Wilson Medal from the American Society of Cell Biology, the Otto Warburg Medal from the German Biochemical Society, the Jung Prize, and the Paul Ehrlich and Ludwig Darmstaedter Prize, the Shaw Prize, the Lasker Award, the Vilcek Prize, the Breakthrough Prize, and the UCSF Lifetime Achievement in Mentoring Award.  Dr. Walter holds a Master of Science degree in organic chemistry from Vanderbilt University and later went to the Rockefeller University in New York for his doctoral study with Günter Blobel.

About BioTheryX, Inc.

BioTheryX is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on restoring protein homeostasis, including protein degradation and modulation, and multi-kinase inhibition to develop treatments intended to extend and improve the quality-of-life of patients with cancer and other diseases. Our principal technology platform centers on targeted protein degradation, PHM® ‘molecular glues’, that enable the design of small molecules to regulate protein equilibrium. This technology is designed to utilize the body’s own protein disposal system to selectively degrade and remove disease-causing proteins. It has potential applicability for a broad range of diseases, including targets that have to date been considered ‘undruggable’, and BioTheryX is initially focused on treating oncology indications with high unmet need.  For more information, please visit www.biotheryx.com and engage with us on LinkedIn.

Contact

Media and Investor Contact:
Amy Conrad, Juniper Point
(858) 366-3243
[email protected]