The Blue Venture Fund is a strategic investment vehicle that aims to foster innovation within the healthcare system. The Blue Venture Fund invests in emerging healthcare companies that have the potential to improve the quality of care, enhance patient experience, and reduce costs. It seeks to support companies that align with the needs and priorities of Blue Cross Blue Shield (BCBS) member companies and their policyholders.

The Blue Venture Fund

Echo Health Ventures is a venture capital firm that focuses on investing in health care companies. From offices in Durham, Portland, and Seattle, Echo Health Ventures invests in health care companies. They work with portfolio companies to accelerate their innovations to scale nationally. As stage-agnostic investors, they are committed to a new approach to strategic investing – an approach that brings more than capital to the table, an approach focused on developing deep, high-value relationships with their portfolio companies.

Echo Health Ventures

Section 32, the new venture fund launched by Bill Maris, was named in homage to Section 31, an intelligence agency from the Star Trek universe.  Maris, the GV (Google Ventures) founder/former-CEO, has raised $150 million for the project that will focus on various investments.  The fund will be run directly by Maris and primarily based out of San Diego.

Section 32

Northpond Ventures is a science-driven venture capital ﬁrm headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland. Our mission is to build a better tomorrow.  Our investments are focused on life sciences, technology, and aﬃliated industries.

Northpond Ventures

Casdin Capital is a fundamental research investment firm focused on the life sciences and healthcare industry. It manages a long-short equity fund and makes investments in early-stage to late-stage private investments.  Casdin was launched in 2012 by founder and CIO Eli Casdin and as of October 2020 has approximately $2.2 billion in assets under management.

Casdin Capital

Deerfield is an investment management firm. They provide a healthcare ecosystem through information and investment. They also provide private and public investments across the life science, medical device, diagnostic, digital health, and health service industries.

Deerfield

Novartis is a global healthcare company based in Switzerland that provides solutions to address the evolving needs of patients worldwide.  Their mission is to discover new ways to improve and extend people's lives.  They apply their expertise in science and innovation to society’s biggest health challenges. Responsibility is a core part of their business strategy.

Novartis

Merck Global Health Innovation Fund (Merck GHI) is evolving corporate healthcare venture capital globally by utilizing their healthcare ecosystem strategy.  This investment strategy connects innovative companies with complementary technologies to develop integrated healthcare solutions.  Merck GHI has $500M under management and provides growth capital to emerging healthcare technology companies worldwide while leveraging the vast R&D-based, global resources of Merck.  With a vision that data will be the currency in healthcare, GHI invests broadly in digital health.  GHI invests in platform companies with proven technologies or business models where Merck's expertise and perspectives can accelerate revenue growth and enhance value creation.   Since late 2010, Merck GHI has made over 20 investments in Digital Health companies.

Merck Global Health Innovation Fund

HV will act as an instrument of strategic growth in broadening Hikma’s offerings; it will allow Hikma to tap into opportunities in the growing digital health space.HV will invest in companies where Hikma's expertise can accelerate revenue growth and enhance value creation by providing ventures with access to the resources of a multinational pharmaceutical company.We will invest in companies at all stages of development, including start-ups, spinouts, and consortia investments.Our initial investment size is up to $5 million per round. HV will look at global opportunities but with a focus on the US and the Middle East & Africa (MEA). We seek to actively partner with the management teams of portfolio companies to realize the potential of their products and technologies.

Hikma Ventures

Intermountain Ventures is the strategic investment arm of Intermountain Healthcare. It focuses on new ventures, strategic investing, and strategic partnerships. It partners with early- and growth-stage companies, corporations, venture capital/private equity firms, technology organizations, and mission-based organizations that are leading the charge to improve health. It was founded in 2019 and is based in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Intermountain Ventures

Octave

Octave is a clinical platform developer who is working to create a new paradigm of multiple sclerosis care by generating, analyzing, and combining data. The platform of the company provides an integrated and multi-dimensional approach to lowering total cost of care by optimizing healthcare medications and utilization, allowing pharma to optimize the entire lifecycle of drug discovery and development, clinical trials, and post-marketing with real-world evidence.

<div>Octave focuses on developing precision medicine for conditions including Multiple Sclerosis and other neurodegenerative diseases. Its Octave Precision Care Solution, delivers a quantitative and objective measurement system that's specifically designed to provide actionable insights in neurodegenerative diseases, starting with Multiple Sclerosis. It includes a set of tools that&nbsp; is claimed to accurately and objectively assess disease activity, progression, and severity.&nbsp;</div>

Leveraging personal data for custom-fit diagnosis and treatment

Precision Medicine

Octave Commercially Launches a First-in-Class Precision Care Solution for Multiple Sclerosis

<div>
 
 Octave focuses on developing precision medicine for conditions including Multiple Sclerosis and other neurodegenerative diseases. Its Octave Precision Care Solution, delivers a quantitative and objective measurement system that's specifically designed to provide actionable insights in neurodegenerative diseases, starting with Multiple Sclerosis. It includes a set of tools that&nbsp; is claimed to accurately and objectively assess disease activity, progression, and severity.&nbsp;
 
 
 
 
 At the core of the Octave Solution is the Octave MSDA Test, which is claimed to be the first and only multivariate blood test for Multiple Sclerosis. This test measures disease activity and is complemented by enhanced MRI analytics and protocols. The Octave Solution reportedly stands out by combining and analyzing various biological and contextual layers of data. Octave's Precision Care Solution delivers a quantitative and objective measurement system that's specifically designed to provide actionable insights in neurodegenerative diseases, starting with Multiple Sclerosis. As of January 2024, It was in use in over 50 clinics across the US.
 
 
 
 
 Additionally, a clinical care program is in place to monitor and connect patients with certified nurse care partners in real-time.
 
 
 
 
 Funding and financials
 
 
 
 
 In November 2023, Octave received a grant of USD 10 million from The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research. The funds were expected to support the discovery, development, and validation of a custom protein which was intended to measure Parkinson's disease activity and progression in clinical settings.
 
 
 
</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.

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

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

<div>
 <ul>
 <li>
 Octave Biosciences has received a grant of USD 10 million from The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research.
 </li>
 <li>
 The funds are expected to support the discovery, development, and validation of a custom protein biomarker panel for Parkinson’s disease to facilitate the quantification of disease activity and progression, thereby addressing a critical need within the Parkinson’s community.
 </li>
 <li>
 California-based Octave Biosciences focuses on treatments for multiple sclerosis (MS). Its platform leverages biomarker, imaging, and patient data to help guide treatment plans and drug selection. The Octave Solution includes the Octave MSDA Test, a multivariate blood test for MS, which measures disease activity, enhanced MRI analytics and protocols, and a clinical care program that tracks and connects patients with MS-certified nurse care partners in real-time.
 </li>
 </ul>
</div> 

California-based Octave Biosciences has been awarded a $10 million grant from The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research. The funds will be used to develop a custom protein biomarker panel for Parkinson's disease, which will help quantify disease activity and progression for improved treatment. Octave Biosciences specializes in treatments for multiple sclerosis (MS) and utilizes biomarker, imaging, and patient data to guide treatment plans and drug selection. The Octave Solution also offers the Octave MSDA Test, an MS blood test, enhanced MRI analytics, protocols, and a clinical care program that connects patients with MS-certified nurse care partners in real-time.

Octave

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