virtual-biotech
(2)
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.
David Cook
David N. Cook, Ph.D., is the founder and CEO of Edgewood Oncology, a Boston-based virtual biotech advancing BTX-A51, a first-in-class small molecule that hits three master regulators of cancer at once (CK1 alpha, CDK7 and CDK9) to switch on programmed cell death. A chemist by training, with an A.B. from Harvard and a Ph.D. from UC Berkeley, Cook has spent roughly 30 years building venture-backed life sciences companies, helping raise more than $1 billion, leading three IPOs, orchestrating two acquisitions, and contributing to five commercialized products. He emerged Edgewood from stealth in March 2024 with a $20 million Series A led by Alta Partners.