Since I may occasionally tweet about these companies, you should know that I have a financial interest in each of them in some form or another. That said, I usually tweet out of irrational exuberance rather than rational self-interest.
Arrakis Therapeutics
This is my primary day job — I am CEO. They pay me a salary and I hold shares. Arrakis has built a robust end-to-end platform for identifying drug-like small molecules that bind to RNA (rSMs) and is now deploying this platform to create several new classes of targeted genetic medicines
Obsidian Therapeutics
I used to be CEO; now I’m merely an ornery Board member. That means I’m a significant shareholder. I also receive a cash stipend for my board service. Obsidian is using its cytoDRIVE™ platform to engineer precision-controlled gene and cell therapies. Its lead CytoTIL program, OBX-15, is an engineered tumor-filtrating lymphocyte (TIL) therapy in Phase 1 testing in melanoma.
Scholar Rock (NASDAQ:SRRK)
I am on the Board of Directors and Scientific Advisory Board and receive a cash stipend and hold equity — all of which you can see in their public disclosures. Scholar Rock uses precise structural insights and sophisticated assays to develop antibody drugs that target potent growth and differentiation factors. Its clinical programs include apitegromab, a selective inhibitor of activation of latent myostatin, currently in Phase 3 for spinal muscular atrophy, and SRK-181, a selective inhibitor of activation of latent TGFβ1 for cancer immunotherapy.
Novartis Venture Fund
I am on the Board of Directors and receive a cash stipend for my service. The fund invests in innovative therapeutics and platform companies.
FutuRx
I am a paid member of the Scientific Advisory Board of this impressive Israeli biotech accelerator and incubator. I hold equity in some of their newcos. FutuRx is funded by Johnson & Johnson Innovation — JJDC, Takeda Ventures, and Orbimed Israel Partners and further supported by the Israeli government.
Synlogic (NASDAQ:SYBX)
I have no active role here, but I hold equity from some advising I did in the company’s early days. Synlogic is developing Synthetic Biotics, living drugs to treat disease in new ways. Three products are in clinical development for metabolic diseases.