The Column Group is a venture capital firm dedicated to creating the next generation of biotechnology companies. They manage over $4 billion in assets and focus on building companies with groundbreaking scientific platforms that have the potential to deliver significant new therapies for unmet medical needs. TCG takes a long-term approach, aiming to develop companies capable of generating multiple product opportunities rather than focusing on quick exits.

The Column Group

Horizons Ventures focuses on investing in disruptive and technology-focused start-ups. The firm was founded in 1999 and is based in Hong Kong. Some of the latest exits are Skype, Siri, Facebook, Summly, and Waze.

Horizons Ventures

Amgen Ventures is a venture capital investment arm of Amgen Inc. specializing in investments in early and later stage companies. The firm primarily invests in the biotechnology sector with a focus on discovering and developing human therapeutics with a focus on oncology, inflammation, hematology, nephrology, metabolic disorders, neuroscience, and cardiovascular therapeutics. In oncology and hematology it focuses on novel therapeutics including signal transduction, cell cycle, and apoptosis; hematopoiesis including anemia, neutropenia, and stem cell mobilization; and supportive care including mucositis and cachexia. In nephrology the firm focuses on renal failure and hyperparathyroidism. For inflammation the firm focuses on rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis, systemic lupus erythematosus, inflammatory bowel disease, multiple sclerosis, asthma and COPD, and osteoarthritis. Under cardiovascular, it focuses on acute coronary syndromes, dyslipidemia, and heart failure and under metabolic disorders it focuses on diabetes, metabolic syndrome, and osteoporosis. The focus on neuroscience included pain including neuropathic and inflammatory, alzheimer's disease, parkinson's disease, sleep disorder, cognition, and schizophrenia. In discovery research and technology the firm focuses on early-stage drug discovery collaborations, innovative chemical entity collections, diagnostics and biomarkers, novel antibody platforms, assay biologicals and devices, and target-focused structural biology and computational tools. It primarily invests in the North America, Europe, and the United Kingdom. The firm typically invests between $2 million and $3 million per transaction and may invest up to $10 million per company. It prefers to have an ownership stake of less than 15 % in its portfolio companies. Amgen Ventures was founded in 2004 and is based in San Francisco, California with additional offices in Seattle, Washington; Thousand Oaks, California; and Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Amgen Ventures

Deep Track Capital is an investment firm focused exclusively on the life sciences and biotech industry. It forges partnerships with the management teams of innovative public and pre-IPO biotechnology companies. It seeks to invest its time and expertise, as well as its network, for the benefit of the partners in addition to capital. The firm intends to lead transactions while forming large syndicates, as well as to participate in rounds led by other qualified investors.

Deep Track Capital

Franklin Resources is a global investment management organization known as Franklin Templeton Investments. They have an extensive global presence, including offices in 35 countries and clients in more than 150. Their common stock is listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol BEN and is included in the Standard & Poor’s 500:registered: Index. Franklin Resources Inc. NYSE: BEN is an investment firm originally founded in New York in 1947 as Franklin Distributors, Inc. It is listed on the NYSE under the ticker BEN as in Benjamin Franklin, whom founder Rupert Johnson, Sr. admired. In 1973 the headquarters moved from New York to San Mateo, California. The firm specializes in conservatively managed mutual funds. It offers products under the Franklin, Templeton, Mutual Series and Fiduciary brand names. Like other large investment companies, the firm offers a wide variety of funds but is traditionally best known for bond funds under the Franklin brand, international funds under the Templeton brand, and value funds under the Mutual Series brand.

Franklin Templeton

5AM Ventures is a venture capital firm that offers seed- and early-stage investments to its clients. The company’s client portfolio consists of firms in the biopharmaceutical, life sciences, medical technology, and research instrument industries. 5AM Ventures was founded in 2002 by John Diekman and Andrew Schwab and is based in California.

5AM Ventures

RA Capital Management is an investment advisor based in Boston specializing in the life-sciences and drug development sectors. The company's team has been investing since 2002 and is comprised of professionals with training in biology, chemistry, and medicine and also has industry and business development experience at the executive and board levels. The company invests in companies with promising technologies and products.

RA Capital Management

Millennium Management is an investment management company. They seek an array of investment strategies across industry sectors, asset classes, and geographies. Their entrepreneurial environment enables them to manage their investment processes. They also seek to accelerate by providing sophisticated resources and technology.

Millennium Management

Willett Advisors LLC manages the philanthropic assets of Michael R. Bloomberg, including the assets of Bloomberg Philanthropies. The firm’s objective is to achieve long-term capital appreciation through the construction of a diversified investment portfolio.

Willett Advisors LLC

Janus Henderson Investors focuses on investing performance and services. The firm connects institutional, retail, and high-net-worth clients with investment specialists who specialize in a variety of asset classes, such as equities, fixed income, real estate, and alternatives.

Janus Henderson Investors

Venrock Healthcare Capital Partners is a fund dedicated to investing in publicly-held and privately-held healthcare companies. It leverages its venture expertise, rigorous data analysis, and long-term supportive orientation to support successful biotechnology companies within the public markets.

Venrock Healthcare Capital Partners

TCG X is a healthcare investment firm dedicated to advancing disruptive medicines and supporting companies that can improve the lives of patients. TCG X invests in both private and public companies led by exceptional entrepreneurs focused on developing better treatment options for patients. TCG X has investment teams in Palo Alto and New York City

TCG Crossover

Frazier Life Sciences IX is a venture capital fund. Frazier Life Sciences invests in and builds companies developing and commercializing novel therapeutics at all stages, from company formation to public.

Frazier Life Sciences

Carmot Therapeutics

Carmot Therapeutics provides drugs to treat inflammatory, metabolic, and neurological diseases. They employ their patented technology, chemotype evolution, to address the fundamental causes of disease and speed the discovery of disease-modifying therapies.

<div>Carmot Therapeutics is a clinical-stage biotechnology company that identifies and develops novel treatments for metabolic diseases, such as diabetes and obesity, but has also expanded into precision oncology. The company uses its patented drug discovery platform, Chemotype Evolution (CE), where the drug molecule matches the target protein through iterations of library synthesis and screening. The platform can synthesize tens of thousands of covalent compounds on demand in less time.&nbsp;</div>

Leveraging personal data for custom-fit diagnosis and treatment

Precision Medicine

Carmot Therapeutics Announces Completion of Acquisition by Roche

Roche

Roche has secured a US$2.7 billion definitive merger agreement to acquire the private US company Carmot Therapeutics. This strategic merger brings forth a promising R&D portfolio, particularly focusing on incretins — gut hormones influencing insulin secretion and appetite suppression — with the potential to transform patient care in weight management.

Biopharma and biotechnology companies that develop precision medicine drugs based on novel disease biomarkers present in multi-omic patient population data and genetic insights.

<div>
 
 Carmot Therapeutics is a clinical-stage biotechnology company that identifies and develops novel treatments for metabolic diseases, such as diabetes and obesity, but has also expanded into precision oncology. The company uses its patented drug discovery platform, Chemotype Evolution (CE), where the drug molecule matches the target protein through iterations of library synthesis and screening. The platform can synthesize tens of thousands of covalent compounds on demand in less time.&nbsp;
 
 
 As of July 2022, it had four drug candidates in its pipeline. Its two lead drug candidates are 1) CT-868 in Phase II clinical trials for treating type 1 and type 2 diabetes and 2) CT-388 in Phase I clinical trials for treating type 2 diabetes and obesity. The company uses GLP-1 (glucagon-like peptide) and GIP (gastric inhibitory polypeptide) incretin (a group of metabolic hormones) receptor modulators that enhance insulin secretion to control blood sugar levels. The company had two other targets in preclinical studies: a GLP-1 receptor agonist and a PYY (peptide YY) receptor program. In addition, the company has two programs at the discovery stage across oncology and metabolic diseases.
 
 
 Key customers and partnerships
 
 
 In July 2016, the company partnered with Genentech (a member of the Roche Group) for a drug discovery collaboration using Carmot&rsquo;s CE platform.
 
 
 In addition, the company partnered with Amgen in December 2017 to develop drugs to treat Parkinson&rsquo;s disease and other selected disease areas using the CE platform. As of July 2022, Carmot discovered a target, the KRAS G12C gene, found in non-small cell lung cancer, for which Amgen developed a small molecule drug called LUMAKRA that is commercially available.
 
 
 Funding and financials
 
 
 In
 <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/19003">
 May 2023
 </a>
 , Carmot raised USD 150 million in a Series E funding round led by Deep Track Capital. The funds were used to strengthen Carmot's clinical and preclinical assets for modulating gut hormones involved in energy homeostasis.
 
</div>

<div>
 
 Praxis Precision Medicines is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company that develops precision medicine for central nervous system disorders based on neuronal imbalance caused by genetic mutations.
 
 
 The company has four clinical-stage product candidates in its pipeline for treating disorders such as depression, epilepsy, movement disorders, and pain syndromes. The company&rsquo;s drug candidates include 1) PRAX-944, which is an inhibitor for essential tremor disorder linked to Parkinson&rsquo;s disease and is set to begin Phase 3 in mid-2023, 2) PRAX-222 in Phase 2 of clinical trials targets the SCN2A gene most commonly associated with early-onset epilepsy, 3) PRAX-562 was designed to block persistent sodium for patients suffering from rare diseases such as headache disorders and severe seizures and completed Phase 1 of clinical trials, and 4) PRAX-628 in Phase 2 clinical trials for treating focal epilepsy that originates in one side or area of the brain and affects one side of the body. Additionally, the firm has six pre-clinical drug candidates.
 
 
 Funding and financials
 
 
 The company went public in October 2020, trading on the Nasdaq Global Select Market under the ticker symbol &ldquo;PRAX&rdquo;. 
 <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/19453">
 In June 2023 
 </a>
 , the company announced an underwritten public offering of its common shares and pre-funded warrants, to raise approximately USD 59.1 million. The capital raised was used to support the company&rsquo;s ongoing operations and strategic initiatives, furthering the development of its pipeline and potential future endeavors.
 
 
 For the year 
 <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/16211">
 2022
 </a>
 , net losses increased by 28% YoY to USD 214 million arising from a significant increase in R&amp;D expense (up by 29% YoY). For the six months ended June 2023, the company is yet to generate revenue from drugs, however received collaboration revenue of USD 1.5 million. Further, it reported a decline in net loss by 43.0% YoY to USD 34.3 million. Its cash and cash equivalent as of June 2023 was at USD 124.3 million, compared to USD 61.6 million in December 2022, which the company believes will be adequate to fund operations till Q1 2025. 
 
</div>

Praxis Precision Medicines

<div>
 
 Mirati Therapeutics is a commercial-stage biotechnology company developing oncology-targeted therapies to address KRAS mutations present in 25% of tumors, including lung, colorectal and pancreatic cancers. Mirati&rsquo;s lead product KRAZATI (adagrasib/ MRTX849) is an oral&nbsp; KRASG12C inhibitor approved in 2022 for certain non-small cell lung cancers.The company also has sitravatinib, a multi-kinase inhibitor, in Phase 3 trials for non-small cell lung cancer in combination with a Bristol-Myers Squibb checkpoint inhibitor.
 
 
 
 
 Additionally, Mirati is advancing multiple early-stage programs including KRAS G12D inhibitor MRTX1133 for pancreatic and colorectal cancers, which entered Phase 1 in 2023, as well as a synthetic lethal inhibitor MRTX1719. In December 2022, the company submitted an IND application for MRTX1133, a potent and selective KRAS G12D inhibitor, which was cleared by the FDA in January 2023. 
 
 
 Key partnerships and customers
 
 
 
 
 Mirati has multiple partnerships with leading biopharma companies to advance its pipeline, including discovery collaborations with Pfizer and clinical collaborations with Novartis, Boehringer Ingelheim, and 
 <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/14345">
 Incyte
 </a>
 . The company also has licensing agreements with BeiGene for sitravatinib and Zai Lab for MRTX849 in certain Asian markets.
 
 
 
 
 
 Funding and Financials
 
 
 
 
 The company went public in June 2013 to trade on Nasdaq under the ticker symbol &ldquo;MRTX&rdquo;. In August 2023, the company closed an 
 <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/20988">
 underwritten public offering
 </a>
 at USD 345 million. The new funds were used towards drug development and leadership expansion.&nbsp;
 
 
 
 
 <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/16725">
 For the year 2022 
 </a>
 , the firm's net losses increased to USD 740.9 million from USD 581.8 million. Net product revenue for the full year amounted to USD 0.7 million arising from the sale of KRAZATI, which received FDA approval for its commercial launch in December 2022. 
 
</div>

Mirati Therapeutics

<div>
 
 Tvardi Therapeutics is a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing precision medicine for different cancers, chronic inflammatory diseases, and fibrotic diseases. The company&rsquo;s pipeline focuses on the development of small-molecule inhibitors of STAT3, a regulatory protein that allows cancer cells to evade the immune system and survive.
 
 
 The company&rsquo;s orally administered monotherapy and lead product, TTI-101, is in Phase 1 clinical trials for patients with advanced solid tumors who have failed all other lines of therapy. Additionally, the drug is in preclinical trials for treating fibrosis and inflammation. The company is also developing TTI-102, a next-generation STAT3 inhibitor that is structurally similar but chemically different from TTI-101.&nbsp;
 
 
 Founded in 2017, the Texas-based company closed a Series B funding round in June 2021, which brought total funding to USD 81 million and the proceeds will be used to advance Tvardi&rsquo;s drug candidates through its clinical data readouts in mid-stage trials for cancer and fibrosis.
 
</div>

Tvardi Therapeutics

<div>
 
 Tango Therapeutics is a clinical-stage biotech company developing precision oncology therapies targeting synthetic lethality in cancer which leads to cell death. Its discovery platform identifies novel targets to develop drugs focused on: 1) countering tumor suppressor gene loss to help the immune system recognize and kill cancer cells, and 2) reversing cancer cell evasion of the immune system.
 
 
 
 
 Tango has five pipeline programs, including lead candidate TNG908, an inhibitor for multiple cancer indicators. The FDA approved TNG908's IND in January 2022 and granted it Orphan Drug Designation. TNG908 is in Phase I/II trials, with preliminary efficacy data expected in H1 2023. Tango also plans to file INDs for TNG260 (STK11 mutant cancers) and TNG348 (BRCA1/2-mutant cancers). In 
 <a href="https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2023/01/25/2595034/0/en/Tango-Therapeutics-Announces-FDA-Clearance-of-Investigational-New-Drug-Application-for-TNG462-Provides-Additional-Business-Updates.html">
 January 2023
 </a>
 , the FDA cleared the IND for TNG462, a next-gen PRMT5 inhibitor for cancers with MTAP deletion.
 
 
 
 
 Key partnerships and customers
 
 
 
 
 
 Outside its pipeline, the company also entered into a collaborative partnership with big pharma Gilead Sciences Inc., in October 2018 which was later expanded for two years in August 2020 to identify new immune evasion targets.
 
 
 
 
 Funding and financials&nbsp;
 
 
 
 
 
 Tango went public in August 2021 via a SPAC deal, trading on Nasdaq under the ticker symbol &ldquo;TNGX&rdquo;, and the company received gross proceeds of USD 353 million. In August 2023, the company raised USD 80 million via a 
 <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/20955">
 private placement
 </a>
 , which was led by Nextech. The new funds were used toward expanding its TNG908 and TNG462 PRMT5 programs to various other indications.
 
 
 
 
 Tango has not yet generated any drug sales and does not expect to do so for several years. However, for the full-year the company reported collaboration revenue of USD 24.9 million (down 4.42% YoY) and a net loss of USD 108.2 million (up 85.9% YoY).
 
 
 
</div>

Tango Therapeutics

<div>
 
 IDEAYA Biosciences is a clinical-stage biotech developing precision cancer therapies based on synthetic lethality - when specific gene mutations pair to cause cell death. The company also studies combining synthetic lethality with immunotherapies and DNA damage to enhance treatment efficacy. While current drugs target limited mutations like BRCA1/2, IDEAYA aims to treat broader genetic subpopulations.&nbsp;
 
 
 
 
 Its pipeline includes synthetic lethality-driven precision medicines across four potential first-in-class clinical-stage product candidates. Of these, the company owns/controls commercial rights of the three most-advanced of these product candidates: darovasertib, IDE397, and IDE161. As of May 2024, the company was also advancing Werner Helicase program for which a development candidate has been selected in collaboration with GlaxoSmithKline, and, subject to investigational new drug-, or IND-, enabling studies, are targeting an IND in 2024. In addition. the company also works on multiple earlier-stage preclinical programs. 
 
 
 By targeting specific genetic drivers, IDEAYA advances precision oncology using synthetic lethality approaches. The company is focused on developing novel targeted therapies for patient populations with high unmet need and limited treatment options.&nbsp;&nbsp;
 
 
 In December 2023, IDEAYA Biosciences teamed up with Gilead Sciences to test the combination of IDE397 and Trodelvy in a Phase I clinical trial for MTAP-deletion bladder cancer.
 
 
 
 
 Key partnerships and customers
 
 
 
 
 The company collaborates with pharmaceutical partners to advance its pipeline, including a strategic partnership with GSK in June 2020. The collaboration with GSK covers co-development and commercialization of two synthetic lethality programs. IDEAYA received USD 100 million upfront and USD 20 million in a direct private placement through the GSK deal. In June 2022, IDEAYA announced it would co-develop its Pol Theta candidate with GSK, with a Phase 1 trial starting in the first half of 2023.&nbsp;
 
 
 
 
 IDEAYA also holds an exclusive license from Novartis for LXS196 (IDE196), a PKC inhibitor for metastatic uveal melanoma. Additionally, the company is exploring IDE196 combinations with Pfizer and its potential in other rare skin diseases. In July 2022, IDEAYA signed an agreement with Amgen to evaluate IDE397 with Amgen's AMG 193 in solid tumors. Strategic pharma partnerships help advance and expand IDEAYA's pipeline of synthetic lethality precision oncology programs.
 
 
 
 
 Funding and financials
 
 
 
 
 
 The company was listed on the Nasdaq Global Select Market under the ticker symbol &ldquo;IDYA&rdquo; in May 2019, raising USD 50 million via an initial public offering. In September 2022, the company raised USD 92 million.&nbsp;
 
 
 
 
 For 2022, the company reported a net loss of USD 58.7 million (up 17.9% YoY) while collaboration revenue was USD 50.9 million (up 82.3% YoY). 
 
 
 On October 24, 2023, IDEAYA Biosciences priced an underwritten public offering of 5 million shares of common stock and pre-funded warrants to purchase 319,150 shares of common stock. The common stock offered was priced at USD 23.50 per share, while the exercise price of a pre-funded warrant was USD 0.0001. The offering was expected to bring in approximately USD 125 million in gross proceeds.
 
 
 
</div>

IDEAYA Biosciences

Companies providing genetic tests to identify individuals with high risk or at-risk of having hereditary disease, aid physicians with a diagnosis, and support clinical decision making.

Secure cloud-based platforms and data sharing networks that collect, index, store, and analyze large amounts of health data and patient population data sets from sources including genomic, clinical, wearables, imaging, and population data.

Companies that study intergenomic variations in genes associated with drug response and metabolism to match patients with the appropriate drug and dosage.

Companies that develop an in-vitro medical device or imaging tools and tests that identify genetic mutations for both diagnostic (nature of the disease) and prognostic (likely course of the disease) purposes, allowing providers to match a patient to a specific drug or therapy.

Software analytics platforms that integrate multiple omics datasets (genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, and metabolomics) to gain insights and support target discovery, drug development, clinical trials, and diagnostics.

Some companies leverage AI/ML to develop tailored medication

Considers individual variability in genes, environment, and lifestyle for each person

Genomics is used across all the segments of precision medicine from diagnostic solutions to treatments

AI/ML analyzes genomic data to find drug targets, predict disease progression, and treatment response

INCUMBENTS_PRESENT

<div> 
 Global pharmaceutical company Roche has agreed to acquire drug discovery and development company Carmot Therapeutics for up to USD 3.1 billion. The acquisition will provide Roche with three clinical candidates from Carmot Therapeutics, which focus on treating obesity in patients with and without diabetes. 
 The most advanced candidate is CT-388, a weekly injectable with dual GLP-1/GIP receptor agonist properties that is in Phase II development. Another candidate, CT-996, is an oral, once-daily small-molecule GLP-1 receptor agonist currently in Phase I. The third candidate, CT-868, is a subcutaneous injectable targeting type 1 diabetes patients who are overweight or obese. 
 Roche plans to use Carmot's research to compete in the obesity and diabetes drug market, with a focus on developing and marketing at least one of the three clinical candidates. 
</div>

Carmot Therapeutics

About EDGE

Contact Us

Resources

Area of Focus

Technology Research Made Effortless