Akrevia Therapeutics is on a mission to make immunotherapies safer. The startup, based in the LabCentral incubator in Cambridge, Mass., is working on drug candidates that act much like therapies that are already on the market, including Bristol Myers-Squibb’s Yervoy and Clinigen’s Proleukin. It’s hoping it can find new drugs that mimic those effects but without sending the immune system into overdrive.
June 13, 2019 | In the News
Startup Spotlight: Akrevia Therapeutics eyes safer immunotherapies
June 12, 2019 | In the News
Synlogic Lands $80M from Ginkgo to Ramp Up “Living Medicines” R&D
Synlogic, a developer of so-called “living medicines” comprised of engineered bacteria, is teaming up with synthetic biology company Ginkgo Bioworks in an effort to advance drug candidates to human testing more quickly.
May 29, 2019 | From the Trenches
Of Microbes And Men
I am the CEO of Synlogic, a synthetic biology company, where the focus of our work is the development of medicines using engineered bacteria. I love the science of what we do; it is challenging, innovative and has the potential to make a really big impact for patients. I am also challenged by issues related to organizational development; a topic of frequent discussion among CEOs.
This blog was written by Aoife Brennan, CEO of Synlogic Therapeutics, as part of the From The Trenches feature of LifeSciVC.
May 23, 2019 | From the Trenches
SPR994: A Long Shot, With Lots Of Twists And Turns To Phase III
At Spero we are privileged to be enrolling our pivotal study for SPR994, our oral antibiotic with the bacteria-killing power of an IV to treat patients with serious urinary tract infections. A frightening sign of our deteriorating antibiotic arsenal is the three million patients in the US alone whose infections do not respond to oral antibiotics used in past decades; if these patients are hospitalized they can cost an average of $4,000 more to treat than if an effective oral agent were available. In this era of a value conscious health care system, there are few interventions that are more cost-effective than getting patients out of the hospital or keeping them out. SPR994 could provide the tool to make this happen.
This blog was written by Ankit Mahadevia, CEO and founder of Spero Therapeutics, as part of the From The Trenches feature of LifeSciVC.
May 20, 2019 | LifeSciVC
Biotech Startups And The Hard Truth Of Innovation
Gary Pisano’s recent Harvard Business Review piece, The Hard Truth About Innovative Cultures, beautifully frames up how innovative corporate environments are frequently misunderstood. Innovative startups aren’t just about being cool and nimble, having beer taps in the kitchen, or an endless bounty of swag. Pisano sums up the harder, harsher reality of truly innovative environments: “These cultures are not all fun and games.”