biopharmaceutical
(66)
Alkermes
Alkermes spent decades teaching medicines to last longer. Now the neuroscience company is trying something harder: building a business around the brain's switches for addiction, psychosis and wakefulness.
Adam Townsend
He spent two decades launching other people's medicines. Now he is running a biotech built to delete the antibodies that make patients sick - and taking the top job for the first time.
Tara Nickerson
Tara Nickerson, PhD, is President, CEO and Director of Therini Bio, a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing fibrin-targeting immunotherapies for neurological and retinal diseases. A biopharma executive with more than 20 years of experience, she was a founding-team member and Chief Business Officer at both Maze Therapeutics and Prothena Corporation before taking the top job at Therini in 2024. She combines a research background from McGill University with an MBA from UC Berkeley's Haas School and a long track record of company-building, financing and dealmaking in the life sciences.
Mirror Biologics, Inc.
Mirror Biologics is a clinical-stage, international biopharmaceutical company developing an 'off-the-shelf' class of immunotherapy built on living, non-genetically-manipulated immune cells. Its patented Mirror Effect platform - protected by more than 200 issued patents - powers a pipeline led by AlloStim for cancer, AlloPrime as a universal anti-viral vaccine for the elderly, and StimVax as a neoantigen vaccine. Headquartered in Tampa, Florida with GMP manufacturing in Jerusalem and clinical operations across Thailand and Malaysia, the company is advancing AlloStim into late-stage trials, including a Phase II metastatic colorectal cancer study run in collaboration with Merck KGaA.
Neurogastrx, Inc.
Neurogastrx is a Woburn, Massachusetts biopharmaceutical company developing therapies for gastrointestinal disorders rooted in the enteric nervous system. Its lead candidate, NG101, is an oral, peripherally acting dopamine D2 receptor antagonist (a proprietary mesylate salt of metopimazine) in late-stage development for gastroparesis and for the nausea and vomiting that limit GLP-1 weight-loss and diabetes drugs. Backed by roughly $105-125M from OrbiMed, 5AM Ventures and venBio, the company reported Phase 2 data in 2025 showing sizable reductions in GLP-1-induced nausea and vomiting.
PIC Therapeutics
PIC Therapeutics is a Natick, Massachusetts biotechnology company developing small-molecule precision medicines that target cancer at the level of protein translation. Rather than chasing individual oncogenes one at a time, PIC modulates the Pre-Initiation Complex (PIC) and the translation factor eIF4E - a convergence point for many oncogenic signaling pathways - to selectively shut down the production of cancer-driving proteins while sparing healthy cells. Founded on the research of Harvard structural biologist Gerhard Wagner and led by CEO Katherine Bowdish, the company is advancing an allosteric eIF4E modulator toward first-in-human studies in drug-resistant metastatic breast cancer, backed by a $35M Series A led by OrbiMed.
Shorla Oncology
Shorla Oncology is a specialty pharmaceutical company based in Clonmel, Ireland, with a U.S. base in Cambridge, Massachusetts, that develops and commercializes innovative oncology drugs for orphan and pediatric cancers. Founded in 2018 by Sharon Cunningham and Orlaith Ryan, Shorla focuses on indications where existing treatments are limited, in shortage, or poorly suited to patients - reformulating and reinventing cancer therapies into easier-to-administer forms such as oral liquids and ready-to-dilute vials. The company markets four FDA-approved products in the U.S. and is advancing an early-stage pipeline addressing rare cancers.
Stablix, Inc.
Stablix, Inc. is a preclinical biopharmaceutical company pioneering targeted protein stabilization (TPS), a new therapeutic modality that does the opposite of protein degraders. Its RESTORE platform generates heterobifunctional small molecules called RESTORACs that recruit deubiquitinase enzymes (DUBs) to selectively remove ubiquitin from disease-relevant proteins, restoring deficient proteins to therapeutic levels or correcting aberrant protein function. Co-located in New York City and Boston and founded on science from Columbia University, Stablix has raised roughly $78M and is developing programs in cancer, rare diseases and immunological disorders, including a strategic collaboration with Vertex Pharmaceuticals.
Zetagen Therapeutics
Zetagen Therapeutics is a private, clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company based in Syracuse, New York, developing locally-administered therapies for metastatic and primary cancers that spread to bone. Its lead candidate, ZetaMet (Zeta-BC-003), uses a patented molecular pathway delivered by a single outpatient injection to suspend cancer growth, inhibit pain, and regenerate bone in patients with metastatic breast cancer lytic lesions. Spun out of research at SUNY Upstate Medical University in 2015, the company has earned multiple FDA Breakthrough Designations and reported Phase 2a data showing an 87.9% mean reduction in lesion defect volume.
Eddine Saiah
Eddine Saiah, Ph.D., is the CEO and President of Stablix, a preclinical biotechnology company pioneering targeted protein stabilization (TPS) as a new class of small-molecule medicines. A medicinal chemist and drug hunter with more than 25 years of experience, he joined Stablix as Chief Scientific Officer in 2022 and moved into the chief executive role in 2025. His career spans big pharma research leadership at Pfizer and Wyeth, an entrepreneur-in-residence stint at Atlas Venture, and CSO duties at Navitor Pharmaceuticals. He is a co-inventor and author on more than 120 patents and publications, and has helped advance more than a dozen small-molecule candidates into clinical trials.
Katherine Bowdish
Katherine (Kathy) Bowdish is a molecular geneticist and biopharmaceutical leader who serves as President and CEO of PIC Therapeutics, a Natick, Massachusetts biotech developing cancer drugs that work by modulating RNA translation - targeting the eIF4E 'master switch' that tumors use to overproduce oncogene proteins. Over more than two decades she has founded and led a string of early-stage life science companies including Prolifaron (acquired by Alexion), Anaphore and Permeon Biologics, and she built and ran Sanofi Sunrise, the pharma giant's early-stage venture and partnering arm. She holds a PhD in molecular genetics from Columbia and led PIC through a $35 million Series A to push its lead program toward the clinic in drug-resistant breast cancer.
Dynavax Technologies
Dynavax Technologies is an Emeryville, California biopharmaceutical company built around CpG 1018, a proprietary vaccine adjuvant that sharpens the immune system's response. Its flagship product, HEPLISAV-B, is the first and only two-dose adult hepatitis B vaccine approved in the U.S. and Europe, and had grown to roughly 44% U.S. market share by the end of 2024. Beyond hepatitis B, Dynavax licenses CpG 1018 to other vaccine developers - most visibly as an ingredient in several COVID-19 vaccines - and has advanced its own pipeline in shingles, plague, pandemic influenza, and Lyme disease. In December 2025 Sanofi agreed to acquire Dynavax for about $2.2 billion; the deal closed in February 2026.
Eureka Therapeutics, Inc.
Eureka Therapeutics is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company in Emeryville, California, developing next-generation T-cell therapies for cancer, with a focus on hard-to-treat solid tumors. Founded in 2006 by Dr. Cheng Liu, the company pairs its E-ALPHA phage-display antibody engine with its ARTEMIS T-cell receptor platform - an alternative to conventional CAR-T designed to keep engineered T cells potent inside immunosuppressive tumors while sharply reducing the inflammatory cytokine release linked to CAR-T toxicity. Its lead program, ECT204, targets GPC3-positive advanced liver cancer and has received FDA RMAT designation.
FibroGen, Inc.
FibroGen, Inc. is a San Francisco biopharmaceutical company that spent three decades building first-in-class medicines around hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF) and connective tissue growth factor (CTGF) biology. Its best-known drug, roxadustat, is an oral treatment for anemia approved in China, Japan and Europe. After selling its China business to AstraZeneca in 2025 and paying down debt, the company rebranded as Kyntra Bio (Nasdaq: KYNB) in January 2026 to concentrate on oncology and rare disease, led by FG-3246, a first-in-class CD46-targeting antibody-drug conjugate for metastatic prostate cancer.
Krystal Biotech, Inc.
Krystal Biotech is a Pittsburgh-based commercial-stage biotechnology company that pioneered redosable, off-the-shelf gene therapy delivered directly to the body. Its lead product VYJUVEK became the first FDA-approved topical and redosable gene therapy in 2023, treating the rare skin disease dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa. Built on a proprietary HSV-1 vector platform (STAR-D), the company runs its own GMP manufacturing and is extending the same delivery technology into respiratory disease, oncology, ophthalmology and aesthetics.
Allysta Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
Allysta Pharmaceuticals is a private, venture-backed, clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing first-in-class therapeutic peptides that target adiponectin signaling. Its lead compound, ALY688, is described as the first adiponectin receptor agonist to enter human testing, with anti-inflammatory, anti-fibrotic, cell-regenerative and metabolic properties. Allysta is advancing ALY688 as an ophthalmic solution for dry eye disease and as an extended/sustained-release formulation for systemic conditions such as NASH/MASH and Duchenne muscular dystrophy.
Antiva Biosciences, Inc.
Antiva Biosciences is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company in South San Francisco developing topical, self-administered antiviral therapeutics for diseases caused by human papillomavirus (HPV). Its lead candidate, ABI-2280, is a vaginal tablet designed to clear high-risk HPV infection and treat pre-cancerous cervical lesions (CIN 2,3) without surgery - an approach aimed at preserving reproductive health and supporting the WHO's goal of eliminating cervical cancer.
Glycyx
Glycyx is a San Francisco biopharmaceutical company developing axelopran, an orally administered peripheral mu-opioid receptor antagonist, to counter opioid-induced immunodeficiency in cancer patients. Roughly 45% of immunotherapy patients take opioids for pain, and studies link that use to sharply worse outcomes on checkpoint inhibitors. Axelopran blocks opioid signaling on immune cells - without touching pain relief - to restore T-cell infiltration into tumors and make 'cold' tumors respond to immunotherapy. The company is Phase 2b-ready with an active IND and has drawn NIH SBIR grant support.
Kivu Bioscience
Kivu Bioscience is a clinical-stage biotechnology company in San Mateo, California, building next-generation antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) for solid tumors. Founded by BioGeneration Ventures and led by ADC veteran Mohit Trikha, the company licenses Synaffix's GlycoConnect and HydraSpace site-specific conjugation technology to engineer more homogeneous, stable ADCs that aim to widen the therapeutic window - hitting tumors harder while sparing healthy tissue. Backed by a $92 million Series A led by Novo Holdings, Kivu has moved its lead candidates KIVU-107 (PTK7) and KIVU-305 (CEACAM5) into Phase 1 clinical trials.
Lyvgen Biopharma
Lyvgen Biopharma is a Shanghai-based clinical-stage immuno-oncology company founded in 2016 by veteran oncology scientist Dr. Jieyi Wang. It builds agonist antibodies - drugs that switch the immune system on rather than release its brakes - using a proprietary xLinkAb platform designed to concentrate immune activation inside tumors while limiting toxicity elsewhere. Its lead program, the CD137/4-1BB agonist antibody LVGN6051 (exlinkibart), is in Phase Ib/II trials in the US and China, including combinations with Merck's Keytruda, alongside a CD40 agonist (LVGN7409), a PD-1 blocker (LVGN3616), and bispecific candidates. Backed by IDG Capital and others through a Series C, Lyvgen runs R&D in Shanghai, a CMC/manufacturing center in Suzhou, and clinical and business development teams spanning China and the US.
OrsoBio
OrsoBio is a Palo Alto clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing first-in-class small-molecule therapies for severe metabolic disorders including obesity, type 2 diabetes, and MASH. Its lead approach uses liver-targeted mitochondrial protonophores that restore cellular energy homeostasis - biology inspired partly by how hibernating bears manage their metabolism ("orso" is Italian for bear). Incubated by Samsara BioCapital and led by former Gilead liver-disease leaders, the company has raised roughly $256M across four rounds and reported Phase 1b/2a data showing its lead candidate TLC-6740 added meaningful weight loss on top of the incretin drug tirzepatide.
Siolta Therapeutics
Siolta Therapeutics is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company spun out of UCSF that develops defined-consortia live biotherapeutic products to prevent and treat diseases rooted in a disrupted microbiome. Its lead program, STMC-103H, is an oral multi-strain therapy aimed at preventing atopic diseases such as atopic dermatitis and food allergy in newborns, built on the company's proprietary Precision Symbiotics Platform.
Vivace Therapeutics, Inc.
Vivace Therapeutics is a San Mateo, California oncology company turning novel Hippo-YAP pathway biology into first-in-class cancer drugs. Its lead small molecule, VT3989, is a first-in-class YAP/TEAD inhibitor that blocks TEAD auto-palmitoylation and has shown durable responses in treatment-resistant mesothelioma and NF2-mutant tumors. Built on a capital-efficient US-China 'virtual biotech' model, the company has raised roughly $105 million across four rounds and is preparing a registrational Phase 3 trial.
Todd Bazemore
Todd Bazemore is the President and CEO of AIRNA, a Cambridge, Massachusetts biotech developing RNA-editing medicines that rewrite disease-causing genetic variants without permanently altering DNA. Appointed in June 2026, he arrived as the company's lead program, AIR-001 for alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency, moved into the clinic on the back of an oversubscribed $155 million Series B. A University of Massachusetts Lowell graduate with more than 30 years in rare-disease drug development, he previously ran Kala Bio, led U.S. operations at Santhera, and was chief commercial officer at Dyax during its $6.5 billion acquisition by Shire.
Tony Kingsley
Tony Kingsley is a biopharmaceutical executive who runs Stablix, Inc., a New York biotech betting that you can treat disease by protecting proteins instead of destroying them. He took the CEO seat in February 2022 after a career of running one drug company after another - Scholar Rock, TARIS Bio, The Medicines Company - and heading global commercial at Biogen, with a McKinsey partnership and a stint in medical devices before that. In July 2025 he joined the board of Indivior. He holds a Dartmouth degree and a Harvard MBA.
Avilar Therapeutics
Avilar Therapeutics is a Waltham, Massachusetts biopharmaceutical company pioneering the degradation of extracellular and membrane-bound proteins. Its ATAC (ASGPR Targeting Chimera) platform uses bifunctional small molecules that grab a disease-causing protein floating in circulation and shuttle it into the liver's endolysosome to be destroyed, extending the reach of targeted protein degradation beyond the inside of the cell. Launched in 2021 with backing from RA Capital, Avilar is applying the platform to autoimmune disease, preeclampsia, and other conditions driven by proteins that conventional drugs struggle to address.
Fortitude Biomedicines
Fortitude Biomedicines is a Waltham, Massachusetts biotech that launched in early 2026 with $13M in seed financing to develop next-generation antibody-based therapies for autoimmune diseases and cancer. Its proprietary GLUE-DAC platform bolts molecular glue degraders onto antibody-drug conjugates, aiming to use catalytic targeted protein degradation to widen the therapeutic window of ADCs and overcome the resistance that has dogged the field. Its lead program, FORT-202, is a first-in-class T-cell targeting bispecific antibody for axial spondyloarthritis expected to reach the clinic in the first half of 2027.
TerSera Therapeutics
TerSera Therapeutics is a privately held biopharmaceutical company based in Deerfield, Illinois, focused on acquiring, developing, and commercializing specialty medicines in oncology, rare disease, and non-opioid pain. Launched in 2016 with backing from private equity firm GTCR, TerSera builds its portfolio through targeted acquisitions of approved and late-stage assets, including ZOLADEX, XERMELO, PRIALT, and VARUBI, with a stated mission of building 'the new cornerstones of care' for patients with limited treatment options.
Nurix Therapeutics
Nurix Therapeutics is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company in San Francisco pioneering targeted protein degradation - medicines that destroy disease-causing proteins rather than merely blocking them. Built on its DELigase discovery engine that harnesses the cell's ubiquitin-proteasome system and DNA-encoded library screening, Nurix is advancing a pipeline of degraders and degrader antibody conjugates for cancer and autoimmune disease, led by the BTK degrader bexobrutideg (NX-5948). The company is partnered with Roche, Sanofi, Gilead, and Pfizer (via Seagen) and trades on Nasdaq under NRIX.
Olema Oncology
Olema Oncology is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company based in San Francisco that develops targeted small-molecule therapies for ER+/HER2- metastatic breast cancer and other women's cancers. Its lead candidate, palazestrant (OP-1250), is an oral complete estrogen receptor antagonist and selective ER degrader now in two Phase 3 trials, while a second program, OP-3136, is a KAT6 inhibitor in Phase 1. Olema's bet is that better-designed oral endocrine therapy can overcome the resistance that limits today's standard of care.