• Rodin Therapeutics

  Participated · Equity · Sep 2017

  Rodin Therapeutics is discovering and developing first-in-class therapeutics that boost synaptic resilience to treat neurological and neuropsychiatric diseases. Its discovery strategy targets specific HDAC complexes and leverages novel chemical strategies to produce brain-penetrant small molecules. The company applies a unique translational approach to measure pro-synaptic effects in a clinical setting. Rodin’s programs are intended to address disorders that share impaired neuronal and synaptic function, including Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease. The company completed a $27 million financing to advance its product candidates and accelerate programs toward clinical trials. Rodin also expanded its board as part of the financing, reflecting continued investor support for its development strategy. Rodin Therapeutics develops therapeutics for cognitive and other neurological disorders by applying epigenetics insights. The company has advanced an internal pipeline of epigenetic modulators and obtained an exclusive license to an additional chemical series discovered at the Broad Institute. Its drug candidates have potential to treat conditions including Parkinson’s disease, cognitive impairment in schizophrenia, and post-traumatic stress disorder. Rodin was co-founded in 2013 by Atlas Venture and Proteros Biostructures and is led by President and CEO Adam Rosenberg. The company entered a multi-year research collaboration with Biogen tied to its neuroscience epigenetics work. As part of its financing and collaboration activity, Rodin is positioning to advance its preclinical pipeline toward clinical development. Rodin Therapeutics discovers and develops first-in-class therapeutics for cognitive and CNS disorders by targeting epigenetic mechanisms and using structural biology capabilities. The company leverages a strategic partnership with Proteros for structure-accelerated lead discovery and has an exclusive license to an additional chemical series developed at the Broad Institute. Rodin has assembled a Scientific Advisory Board chaired by Li-Huei Tsai and staffed by academic and industry experts. The leadership team includes Bruce Booth (Chairman and acting CEO), Marty Jefson (CSO), Ankit Mahadevia (Acting CBO), and Barbara Tate (Head of Biology). Rodin plans to use its recent financing to advance its pipeline of selective epigenetic modulators toward the clinic.

• VYNE Therapeutics

  Participated · Series C · Jul 2017

  Menlo Therapeutics is a Menlo Park, Calif.-based clinical-stage pharmaceutical company focused on developing serlopitant, a once-daily oral NK-1 receptor antagonist. Serlopitant is investigational for the treatment of chronic pruritus and refractory chronic cough. The company is advancing the drug for pruritus associated with atopic dermatitis, psoriasis and prurigo nodularis, as well as for refractory chronic cough. Menlo has completed two phase 2 trials: TCP-101 (chronic pruritus from multiple causes) and TCP-102 (pruritus associated with prurigo nodularis). The company raised $50M in a Series C financing to support further development of serlopitant. In conjunction with the financing, venBio’s Aaron Royston, MD will join Menlo’s board of directors, indicating investor involvement in the program.

• Peloton Therapeutics

  Participated · Series D · Sep 2016

  Peloton Therapeutics is a clinical-stage drug discovery and development company focused on first-in-class oral medicines for cancer and other serious conditions. Its lead development program is PT2977, a potent and selective oral HIF-2α inhibitor targeting clear cell renal cell carcinoma and other disorders. The company emphasizes translating novel scientific insights into medicines for debilitating or life‑threatening conditions and notes that HIF-2α was previously thought to be intractable using small molecules. Proceeds from the recent financing will be used to advance Peloton’s research and development pipeline, including PT2977. RA Capital highlighted support as Peloton moves toward a Phase 3 trial of PT2977 for metastatic renal cell carcinoma and advances development in Von Hippel‑Lindau disease. The company issued the announcement from Dallas. Peloton Therapeutics is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on discovering and developing novel small-molecule cancer therapies. Its lead programs are inhibitors of hypoxia inducible factor-2α (HIF-2α), a transcription factor implicated in kidney and other cancers. The company emphasizes first-in-class approaches that target unexploited molecular vulnerabilities. Peloton is advancing these programs through clinical development with the aim of impacting renal and other oncology indications. Financially, Peloton recently completed a Series D financing, increasing proceeds to support its programs. The company is publicly identified in the article as based in Dallas. Peloton Therapeutics is a clinical-stage biotech focused on discovering and developing first-in-class small-molecule cancer therapies. Its lead program, PT2385, is a first-in-class small molecule antagonist of hypoxia-inducible factor-2α (HIF-2α). PT2385 has generated reported responses in patients with renal cell carcinoma and is being considered for applications in von Hippel-Lindau disease, glioblastoma multiforme, and other high-unmet-need diseases. The company intends to advance its HIF-2α program and other research programs toward clinical goals. Peloton completed a $52.4 million Series D private financing to support these development plans. Management stated the financing positions the company to realize the full potential of its HIF-2α antagonists and continue its research efforts. Peloton Therapeutics is a Dallas-based early-stage cancer drug discovery and development company focused on small-molecule therapeutics. It is advancing a pipeline of several small molecule-based programs, each with distinct targets and mechanisms of action, in close collaboration with scientists at UT Southwestern. The company was founded by scientist Steven L. McKnight, Ph.D., and its board includes Nobel Laureate Michael S. Brown, John W. Creecy, David V. Goeddel, Tim Kutzkey and Brett A. Ringle. John A. Josey, Ph.D., former Vice President of Discovery Chemistry at Array BioPharma, will join Peloton as President and Chief Scientific Officer. Peloton completed an $18M Series A financing led by The Column Group, with participation from Remeditex Ventures and Peter O’Donnell, Jr. This Series A supplements an $11M grant recently awarded by the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT).

• Navitor

  Participated · Equity · Dec 2015

  Navitor is advancing a platform centered on molecules that target the mTOR kinase pathway, inspired by the work of MIT Professor David Sabatini. The company is focused on careful preclinical characterization across several disease areas, including work on Huntington's disease as well as rare and large chronic diseases. Management says it is advancing toward the clinic in multiple indications while keeping specific targets quiet as the technology matures. Navitor raised a $33 million financing to fund the groundwork needed to set up its first clinical program. The plan is to support preclinical work and enable a Phase Ib study to assess safety and early efficacy in humans. Management aims for first human testing in late 2017 or early 2018.

• Navitor Pharmaceuticals

  Participated · Series B · Dec 2015

  Navitor develops first-in-class small-molecule therapeutics that selectively modulate mTORC1 signaling to restore normal cellular responses to nutrients and growth factors. Its pipeline includes candidates designed to either increase or decrease nutrient- and growth factor–responsive pathways, targeting metabolic, neurodegenerative, immune/autoimmune, musculoskeletal and several rare disorders, as well as age-related immune suppression. The company’s drug discovery platform is built on foundational discoveries related to mTORC1 and nutrient signaling by Dr. David Sabatini at The Whitehead Institute. Navitor intends to advance a lead program into clinical trials to demonstrate initial efficacy and safety and will continue developing additional pipeline candidates while augmenting its proprietary discovery platform. The company is headquartered in Cambridge, Mass., and is backed by a syndicate of corporate and financial investors. Recent financing activity (Series B) strengthens its near-term ability to fund clinical advancement and continued discovery work. Navitor is a biopharmaceutical company developing novel medicines by targeting cellular nutrient signaling via the mTORC1 pathway. Its core product is a proprietary drug discovery platform designed to create first-in-class selective modulators of mTORC1, aimed at precise modulation of protein synthesis and cellular growth. The company intends to use its platform to generate therapeutics that can either "turn up" or "turn down" nutrient-responsive pathways to restore normal mTORC1 function across multiple indications. Navitor plans to augment its platform and further develop proprietary technologies, tools and assays to address the complexity of mTORC1 signaling. Navitor's founding intellectual property is based on discoveries by David M. Sabatini at the Whitehead Institute, to which it has exclusive access. The company recently closed a $23.5 million Series A to accelerate pipeline development, and is backed by Polaris Partners, Atlas Venture, Johnson & Johnson Development Corporation, SR One and The Longevity Fund. Navitor is based in Cambridge, Mass.

No current team members are available.