Digest 6/8/23
Surveying great inventors and businesses
Axial: https://linktr.ee/axialxyz
Axial partners with great founders and inventors. We invest in early-stage life sciences companies such as Appia Bio, Seranova Bio, Delix Therapeutics, Simcha Therapeutics, among others often when they are no more than an idea. We are fanatical about helping the rare inventor who is compelled to build their own enduring business. If you or someone you know has a great idea or company in life sciences, Axial would be excited to get to know you and possibly invest in your vision and company . We are excited to be in business with you - email us at info@axialvc.com
Gilead:
- Founded in 1987 by Michael Riordan
- To develop antivirals, first with RNA then small molecules - Going public in 1992 - Launching Vistide for CMV in AIDS patients in 1996
- Growing through M&A, buying Pharmasset for $10.4B in 2011 & becoming the market-leader
Photoselective sequencing: microscopically guided genomic measurements with subcellular resolution led by Sarah Mangiameli from the Fei Chen lab https://www.nature.com/articles/s41592-023-01845-8
Founder Stories: John Martin, Former CEO of Gilead Sciences
Bitterroot Bio:
- Founded in 2021 by Irv Weissman, Lou Lange, John Martin & Nick Leeper
- Raised $145M co-led by Deerfield & ARCH
- Developing drugs targeting CD47 to treat cardiovascular disease
- Initially focused on atherosclerosis, with the idea to prevent plaque formation
"In the earlier years when I started this project at Stanford University, everyone told me it was nuts to go and try to reproduce the mysterious complexities that occur in a whole cell."
- James Rothman, Nobel Prize winner for work on cellular trafficking
