Author: biotheryx

SAN DIEGO, Jan. 7, 2021 /PRNewswire/ — BioTheryX, Inc., a clinical-stage company focused on degrading proteins to create life-saving medicines, today announced the appointment of experienced biotechnology leader Robert F. Williamson, III as President and Chief Executive Officer and a member of the BioTheryX Board of Directors.

“Rob is an extremely talented biotech executive with more than two decades of experience in building and financing companies through critical phases of growth.  His proven track record in leading high-functioning teams and executing partnerships and financings, position us well to advance our pipeline of protein degraders and modulators to create life-saving medicines for patients,” said David Stirling, Ph.D., Executive Chairman and Chief Development Officer of BioTheryX.  “The Board and I welcome him as CEO, and we are excited to have him lead our company as we build on our expertise in protein modulation based drug development.”

Prior to joining BioTheryX, Mr. Williamson served as Chief Executive Officer of both PharmAkea and ATXCo, oncology and fibrosis drug development companies financed through a partnership with Celgene, through PharmAkea’s acquisition by Galecto and ATXCo’s acquisition by Blade Therapeutics.  Prior to PharmAkea and ATXCo, Mr. Williamson was Chief Executive Officer of Arriva Pharmaceuticals, President and COO of Eos Biotechnology, which was acquired by Protein Design Labs, and COO of DoubleTwist, Inc. through its acquisition by Merck and Hitachi. In addition to his executive leadership roles, Mr. Williamson has served as a Board member for privately held and publicly traded companies.  Most notably, Mr. Williamson served as a member of the Board of Directors of Pharmasset, Inc., where he helped finance, grow, and advance the company to the public markets through its acquisition by Gilead in 2011 for $11 billion.  He also served as a member of the Board of Directors of Progen Pharmaceuticals.  Currently, Mr. Williamson serves as Chairman of HAYA Therapeutics SA and as a member of the Board of Directors of the Coulter Center in Miami.

Prior to his management roles in industry, Mr. Williamson was a partner with The Boston Consulting Group and was a research assistant for the Federal Reserve Board.  He received a B.A. in Economics from Pomona College and an M.B.A. from Stanford GSB.

“I am thrilled to assume this role and for the future of BioTheryX, which is poised for rapid growth in the fast-paced category of protein degradation and modulation,” said Mr. Williamson.  “The BioTheryX team is truly exceptional, composed of decorated scientists who created one of the most successful anti-cancer drug franchises in history and are the pioneers in the protein degradation space.  I look forward to leading the team to bring this unmatched expertise to bear and to advance our clinical-stage program for liquid and solid tumors, and to expand our PHM^® platform and develop first-in-class therapies for oncology, inflammatory and other diseases.”

About BioTheryX, Inc.

BioTheryX is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on restoring protein homeostasis, including protein degradation and modulation, and multi-kinase inhibition to develop treatments intended to extend and improve the quality-of-life of patients with life-threatening diseases. Our core technology platform centers on targeted protein degradation with novel PHM ‘molecular glues,’ as well as PHM-based proteolysis targeting chimeras that restore protein equilibrium. This technology is designed to utilize the body’s own protein disposal system to selectively degrade and remove disease-causing proteins. It has potential applicability to a broad range of diseases, including targets that have to date been considered ‘undruggable’. For more information, please visit www.biotheryx.com and engage with us on LinkedIn.

CONTACT: Media and Investor Contact: Amy Conrad, Juniper Point, (858) 366-3243, [email protected]

SAN DIEGO, CA, July 28, 2020 — BioTheryX, Inc., a clinical stage biotechnology company harnessing the power of protein modulation to treat difficult diseases, today announced it has closed a $35 million Series D financing. The round was led by MSD Partners, L.P.

“We are pleased to have closed this financing that will enable us to accelerate expansion of our ongoing clinical trial of BTX-A51, which I believe may ultimately become one of the most significant innovations in the past 40 years for AML patients and their families,” said David Stirling, Ph.D., Chairman and CEO of BioTheryX. “Additionally, and equally as important, this funding will support our ongoing work in protein modulation and degradation utilizing proprietary Protein Homeostatic Modulators (PHMs™) and PHM®-based Proteolysis Targeting Chimeras, where I believe we have a superior probability of success driven by the large diversity of our molecular binders that afford us advanced structural control in drug design.”

In addition to general corporate development purposes, proceeds from the financing will be used to accelerate the timeline of the BTX-A51 Phase 1 clinical trial through the addition of clinical sites beyond Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, continue IND-enabling studies for therapeutic candidates utilizing both PHMs™ and PHM®-based Proteolysis Targeting Chimeras, and support more rapid development of the Company’s pre-clinical pipeline.

Louis J. DeGennaro, Ph.D., President and CEO, The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS), and BioTheryX Board Member, stated, “LLS has been pioneering breakthrough blood cancer research since 1949, and through innovative initiatives like our Therapy Acceleration Program® (TAP) we’re doing more than any cancer nonprofit to advance cutting-edge research and cures. As the first equity investment made through TAP, I am pleased to see BioTheryX’s continued progress on promising approaches to treat blood cancers that may make meaningful differences in patients’ lives.”

In conjunction with the financing, Robert Platek, a Partner and Portfolio Manager at MSD Partners L.P., will be joining BioTheryX’s Board of Directors.

Raymond James’ Alex Brown division served as the sole placement agent for the financing.

About BioTheryX, Inc.
BioTheryX is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on restoring protein homeostasis, including protein degradation and modulation, and multi-kinase inhibition to develop treatments intended to extend and improve the quality-of-life of patients with life-threatening diseases. Our principal technology platform centers on targeted protein degradation, as well as PHM® ‘molecular glues’ that enable the design of small molecules to regulate protein equilibrium. This technology is designed to utilize the body’s own protein disposal system to selectively degrade and remove disease-causing proteins. It has potential applicability to a broad range of diseases, including targets that have to date been considered ‘undruggable’. For more information, please visit www.biotheryx.com.

About MSD Partners, L.P.
MSD Partners, L.P. is an SEC-registered investment adviser that was formed in 2009 by the principals of MSD Capital, L.P. to enable a select group of investors to invest in strategies that were developed by MSD Capital (the private investment firm for Michael Dell and his family). MSD Partners utilizes a multi-disciplinary investment strategy focused on maximizing long-term capital appreciation by making investments across the globe in the equities of public and private companies, credit, real estate and other asset classes and securities. MSD Partners is headquartered in New York with an additional office in Santa Monica. Additional information regarding MSD Partners may be found at msdpartners.com.

Media Contact for BioTheryX
[email protected]

Study is evaluating the safety/tolerability of BTX-A51 in patients with relapsed/refractory acute myeloid leukemia (AML), as well as high risk myelodysplastic syndrome patients.

CHAPPAQUA, N.Y., Jan. 16, 2020 /PRNewswire/ — BioTheryX, Inc., a clinical stage biotechnology company creating new classes of compounds based on multi-kinase inhibition and targeted protein degradation, today announced the initiation of patient dosing in its first clinical program. The Phase 1 study of BTX-A51, a small molecule, oral multi-kinase inhibitor will evaluate the safety, pharmacokinetics and tolerability of BTX-A51 in patients with relapsed/refractory AML, as well as high risk myelodysplastic syndrome patients.

BTX-A51 appears to block a specific leukemic stem cell target (CK1-alpha) as well as super enhancer targets (CDK7/CDK9) preventing transcription of key oncogenic genes. BTX-A51 has demonstrated remarkable preclinical animal efficacy implying the eradication of AML stem cells and the potential for use in multiple malignancies.

“As I stated when the Investigational New Drug application for BTX-A51 was accepted by the FDA, the novel mechanism of BTX-A51 may become one of the most important new treatments for AML in the last 40 years, and has the potential to significantly improve the lives of AML patients and their families,” said David Stirling, Ph.D., CEO of BioTheryX.

In addition to its multi-kinase inhibition program, BioTheryX’s other technology platform is in the field of targeted protein degradation. This technology utilizes the body’s own protein disposal system to selectively degrade and remove disease-causing proteins. It has potential applicability to a very broad range of disease targets, including a wide range of targets that have to date been considered “undruggable.”

In this area, BioTheryX’s preclinical assets include a large and growing library of novel, small molecule, orally available, cereblon-binding targeted protein degraders which BioTheryX has termed Protein Homeostatic Modulators (“PHMs®”). These IP-protected compounds are biologically active against a number of high value therapeutic targets in oncology, inflammation and other diseases. In addition to the therapeutic potential of these “molecular glue” molecules in their own right, these compounds also have a broad range of molecular orientations when bound to cereblon, providing a new level of structural control in the creation of bifunctional chimeric molecules that degrade high-value targets with great specificity. Recognizing this potential, BioTheryX has created a library of PHM-linked, biologically active chimeric molecules, including several that degrade the oncogenic targets of BTX-A51, thus dovetailing BioTheryX’s two major programs.

Expect Enrollment of Phase 1 Trial to Begin in the Third Quarter of 2019

CHAPPAQUA, N.Y., May 29, 2019 /PRNewswire/ — BioTheryX, Inc. (“BioTheryX”), a biotechnology company creating new classes of drugs based on multi-kinase inhibition and targeted protein degradation, today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (“FDA”) has cleared BioTheryX’s investigational new drug application (“IND”) for BTX-A51, an oral multi-kinase inhibitor, for the treatment of patients with relapsed/refractory acute myeloid leukemia (“AML”) or high-risk myelodysplastic syndrome (“MDS”). BioTheryX anticipates dosing of first patients to begin during the third quarter of this year.

BTX-A51 is a small molecule, multi-kinase inhibitor that appears to block a specific leukemic stem cell target (CK1-alpha) as well as super-enhancer targets (CDK7/CDK9) preventing transcription of key oncogenic genes This molecule has demonstrated remarkable preclinical animal efficacy implying the eradication of AML stem cells, and the potential for use in multiple malignancies.

“The acceptance of our IND is a major milestone in transitioning BioTheryX from a pre-clinical to a clinical-stage biotechnology company,” said David Stirling, Ph.D., CEO of BioTheryX. “The novel mechanism of BTX-A51 may become one of the most important new treatments for AML in the last 40 years and has the potential to significantly improve the lives of AML patients and their families. In short, BTX-A51 seeks to address a truly unmet medical need in very novel ways.”

In addition to the multi-kinase program described above, BioTheryX’s other technology platform is in the field of protein homeostasis, also known as targeted protein degradation. This technology uses the body’s own protein disposal system to selectively degrade and remove disease-causing proteins. It has potential applicability to a very broad range of disease targets, including a wide range of targets that have to date been considered “undruggable.”

In this area, BioTheryX’s pre-clinical assets include a large and growing library of novel small molecule, cereblon-binding targeted protein degraders, which BioTheryX has termed Protein Homeostatic Modulators (PHM®). These IP-protected compounds are biologically active against a number of high value therapeutic targets in oncology, inflammation and other diseases. In addition to the therapeutic potential of these “molecular glue” molecules in their own right, these compounds also have a broad range of molecular orientations when bound to cereblon, providing a new level of structural control in the creation of bifunctional chimeric molecules that degrade high-value targets with great specificity. Recognizing this potential, BioTheryX has created a library of PHM-linked, biologically active chimeric molecules, including several that degrade the oncogenic targets of BTX-A51, thus dovetailing BioTheryX’s two major programs.

CHAPPAQUA, N.Y., Sept. 08, 2006 /PRNewswire/ — BioTheryX, Inc. (BTX), is developing next-generation drugs that selectively regulate the stability of disease-causing proteins to treat a broad range of diseases, including cancer and immune disorders. BioTheryX’s innovative approach to drug discovery exploits the exquisite specificity of the ubiquitin proteasome system (UPS). BioTheryX has entered into a strategic collaboration with Nobel laureate Dr. Aaron Ciechanover at the Rappaport Institute to employ advanced ubiquitin-directed proteomics to assist in elucidating direct protein targets and prognostic biomarkers for BTX’s proprietary small molecule Protein Homeostatic Modulators™ (PHMs™). This powerful new class of small molecule drugs will selectively modulate key therapeutically validated protein targets in oncology, immunology, inflammation, as well as emerging targets in the fields of immune-oncology and cancer stem cells.

Dr. Ciechanover is a Distinguished Research Professor at the Rappaport institute for Biomedical Research-Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, and BioRap Technologies is its technology transfer arm. Professor Ciechanover, together with colleagues Drs. Avram Hershko and Irwin Rose, won the 2004 Nobel Prize in chemistry for the discovery of ubiquitin mediated protein degradation. Along with Hershko, he was also recognized with the prestigious Albert Lasker Award for Basic Medical Research (2000). Additionally, among many world renowned organizations, Dr. Ciechanover is a member of the USA National Academies of Sciences (NAS) and Medicine (NAM).

The BioTheryX team, led by Celgene Corp. founder David Stirling, were the developers of the remarkable IMiD® family of compounds while at Celgene. It is now known that the IMiDs® (a franchise of blood cancer compounds now exceeding $35 billion) work by promoting ubiquitin degradation of key protein targets in oncology, giving the BTX team the most commercial experience in the protein regulation field.

David Stirling, Chief Executive Officer, BioTheryX, commented, “BioTheryX is pleased and excited to be working with Professor Ciechanover, the “father” of the ubiquitin-proteasome field, to advance these exciting compounds into the clinic. Our proprietary PHMs are orally available, small molecule compounds which display potent and selective biological activities and excellent safety profiles. We believe BTX’s PHMs will have clinical utility in both cancer and immune disorders. Indeed, the lead compound in this series promotes selective degradation of a well-documented, clinically validated drug target more effectively than currently approved drugs, and this trajectory could represent a significant fast track to the clinic.”

Professor Aaron Ciechanover, Tumor and Vascular Biology Research Center, The Rappaport Faculty of Medicine and Research Institute, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, commented, “The platform discovered by BioTheryX is exciting and broad, and can be applied to any substrate at will. It opens a wide window to the development of novel therapeutic modalities to a broad array of diseases, including malignancies and neurodegenerative disorders. Therefore, we are excited to be part of this novel and promising emerging approach.”