Sorrento Therapeutics
4955 Directors Place, San Diego, CA, 92121, United States
Overview
Sorrento Therapeutics is a development-stage biopharmaceutical company engaged in the acquisition, discovery, development and commercialization of proprietary drug therapeutics for addressing significant unmet medical needs. Sorrento’s late stage pipeline include Cynviloq™ (paclitaxel in polymeric micelle formulation) currently in a registrational bio-equivalent study versus albumin-bound paclitaxel; and Resiniferatoxin (RTX),which is in a Phase 1/2 study at the NIH to treat terminal cancer patients suffering from intractable pain. Sorrento has one of the industry’s most diverse antibody (G-MAB®) library comprised of high-quality, fully human antibodies with a diversity of more than ten trillion (>10^16). Along with its' proprietary conjugation chemistries and novel toxins, Sorrento has all in-house capabilities to generate and develop a new generation of homogenous ADCs with well-defined drug antibody ratios (DAR) in contrast to approved ADCs, which are heterogeneous mixtures with different DARs. These differentiating characteristics may lead to improved ADC stability and pharmacokinetics while reducing off-target effects compared to existing ADCs. Sorrento's primary therapeutic focus is cancer although its products and technologies have much broader clinical applications including autoimmune disorders, metabolic diseases and infectious diseases.
- Total investments
- 2
- Lead investments
- 1
- Investments · 12mo
- 0
- Active investors
- 7
Sector focus
- Biopharma
- Biotechnology
- Health Care
- Medical
- Pharmaceutical
Investment portfolio
- Aardvark Therapeutics
Led · Series B · Aug 2021
Aardvark Therapeutics, led by CEO Tien Lee, M.D., is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on developing novel small-molecule therapeutics that activate innate homeostatic pathways for metabolic diseases, inflammation, and other indications. Its lead compound, oral ARD-101, is a potent bitter taste receptor (TAS2R) pan-agonist that stimulates enteroendocrine cells of the digestive tract to release multiple gut-peptide hormones including GLP-1 and the satiety hormone cholecystokinin (CCK). ARD-101 has demonstrated an ability to reduce hunger when used alone or in combination with currently available GLP-1 therapies, and based on promising clinical data the FDA has granted the drug both Orphan Drug designation and Rare Pediatric Disease designation in Prader-Willi Syndrome. The company intends to use the Series C proceeds to complete the clinical trials required for regulatory approval of ARD-101 for hyperphagia in PWS and to demonstrate ARD-101’s complementary mechanism of action to current GLP-1 therapies in the treatment of obesity. Aardvark also plans to advance other pipeline programs with the financing. The company is based in San Diego, CA. Aardvark Therapeutics, led by CEO Tien Lee, M.D., is a San Diego-based clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on developing and commercializing novel small molecule therapeutics to activate innate homeostatic pathways for metabolic diseases. Its lead compound, ARD-101, is a first-in-class small molecule TAS2R pan-agonist that demonstrated safety in Phase 1 human trials. ARD-101 has shown beneficial effects in animal models of obesity, hyperphagia, diabetes, hyperlipidemia, and inflammation. The company plans to use newly raised capital to complete three Phase 2 clinical trials of ARD-101 and to advance several potential additional formulations for major indications. Founded in 2017, Aardvark has multiple other programs in its pipeline and has already partnered one program to Sorrento Therapeutics. The company completed a $29M Series B financing to fund these activities.
- Celularity
Participated · Equity · Feb 2018
Celularity develops therapies using stem cells harvested from human placentas to regenerate tissue and treat cancer and other diseases. The company says placental cells can be donated, are abundant, can be injected into any human without rejection, and could enable more affordable, immediately available treatments. Celularity has conducted several clinical trials and has treated “hundreds” of patients to date. The team is pursuing FDA approval and expects that regulatory clearance could come within 12–24 months, according to company leadership. Financially, Celularity recently secured $250 million in new funding from a mix of strategic and individual investors. The company also owns LifeBank USA, a repository for donated placental cells and biomaterials, and holds roughly 1,800 patents on related procedures.