cardiometabolic
(7)
CORXEL Pharmaceuticals
CORXEL Pharmaceuticals is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing innovative therapies for cardiometabolic diseases worldwide. Spun out of RTW Investments in 2019 (formerly JiXing Pharmaceuticals) and dual-based in Berkeley Heights, New Jersey and Shanghai, CORXEL is advancing a pipeline led by CX11, a differentiated oral small-molecule GLP-1 receptor agonist for obesity and type 2 diabetes, alongside JX10 for acute ischemic stroke and JX09 for hypertension. In January 2026 the company raised up to $287 million in Series D1 financing to push these programs through late-stage clinical trials.
Sparrow Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
Sparrow Pharmaceuticals is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing clofutriben, an oral, once-daily HSD-1 inhibitor that lowers active cortisol inside specific tissues rather than shutting down the body's steroid system entirely. Founded in 2013 by scientist David Katz, the company has raised roughly $145 million across Series A and Series B rounds and is running the Phase 2b CAPTAIN-T2D trial in patients with type 2 diabetes and elevated cortisol, alongside programs in Cushing's syndrome and autonomous cortisol secretion.
Sandy Mou
Sandy Mou, MD, is the Chief Executive Officer and Board Executive Director of CORXEL Pharmaceuticals, a New Jersey- and Shanghai-linked biotech developing an oral small molecule GLP-1 receptor agonist for obesity and diabetes. A Fudan-trained clinician turned pharma executive with nearly three decades at GSK, AstraZeneca, Johnson & Johnson, and MSD, she led MSD China's oncology unit into the country's top three within three years and later took Shanghai Allist public on the STAR Market before joining JIXING - now CORXEL - in early 2023.
Marea Therapeutics
Marea Therapeutics is a clinical-stage biotechnology company in San Francisco developing first-in-class medicines for cardioendocrine and cardiometabolic diseases. Incubated by Third Rock Ventures and led by Dr. Josh Lehrer, Marea uses human genetics insights to drive its pipeline, headlined by MAR001, an ANGPTL4-targeting antibody aimed at residual cardiovascular risk, and MAR002 for acromegaly.
Helicore Biopharma
Helicore Biopharma is a South San Francisco clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company building first-in-class GIP (glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide) antagonists for obesity and cardiometabolic disease. Its lead candidate, HCR-188, is a humanized monoclonal antibody that binds circulating GIP ligand rather than the GIP receptor, a mechanism designed to improve the quality of weight loss - favoring fat loss over lean mass when paired with GLP-1 - and to restore leptin sensitivity. Incubated by Versant Ventures, the company emerged from stealth in January 2025 with a $65 million Series A and is advancing a pipeline of long-acting antibody-peptide conjugates aimed at quarterly dosing.
Omada Health
Omada Health is a publicly traded (Nasdaq: OMDA) virtual chronic care company that uses behavioral science, connected devices, AI tools, and human care teams to help people manage prediabetes, diabetes, hypertension, high cholesterol, musculoskeletal conditions, and weight - including support for members on GLP-1 medications. Founded in 2011 in San Francisco, it sells to employers, health plans, and pharmacy benefit managers, serving roughly 2,000-plus customers and more than 886,000 members.
Josh Lehrer
Josh Lehrer is a physician-scientist and biotech executive serving as CEO of Marea Therapeutics, a clinical-stage company harnessing human genetics to develop first-in-class medicines for cardiometabolic diseases. A cardiologist by training with degrees from Harvard, Cambridge, and UCSF, Lehrer brings over two decades of drug development experience spanning Genentech, Global Blood Therapeutics (where he oversaw the FDA approval of Oxbryta for sickle cell disease), and Graphite Bio. At Marea, he has led the company from a Third Rock Ventures incubation to a $190 million-funded enterprise with two clinical-stage programs showing strong early efficacy data, including a 53% reduction in remnant cholesterol with MAR001 published in The Lancet.