CAMBRIDGE, Mass., June 13, 2023-- DEM BioPharma, Inc. (DEM Bio), an immune-oncology company developing therapies that target signals on cancer cells and myeloid phagocytes to eliminate cancer, today announced the addition of Wendy Young, Ph.D., to its Scientific Advisory Board.
“At DEM Bio, our mission is to pioneer the next generation of immunotherapeutics. We are thrilled to welcome Dr. Young whose extensive experience in drug discovery and passion for innovative research will no doubt prove to be invaluable as we continue to advance our platform and immuno-oncology drug target portfolio," said Nenad Grmusa, CEO of DEM Bio.
“DEM Bio's work developing immunotherapeutics to target novel innate immune system checkpoints has the potential to revolutionize cancer therapies," said Dr. Young. “I am proud to be joining such an impressive team of industry experts and scientists dedicated to eliminating cancer."
Wendy currently serves as an Advisor to Google Ventures, Board Director and Scientific Advisory Board Member of several biotech companies. Prior to her current roles, Wendy held the title of SVP of the Small Molecule Drug Discovery division at Genentech. Under her leadership, more than 25 clinical candidates in the areas of oncology, immunology, neurology and anti-infectives, progressed into clinical development. Additionally, Wendy led the BTK program and is co- inventor of fenebrutinib which is currently in Phase 3 trials for multiple sclerosis. Prior to joining Genentech, she held medicinal chemistry leadership roles at both Celera Genomics and Johnson & Johnson. Wendy is named as an inventor or author on more than 70 published patents and manuscripts. In 2018 she was inducted as an ACS Fellow for her lifelong service to chemistry, society and medicine, in 2019 she was highlighted as “One of the Top 20 Women in Biopharma" by Endpoints News and in 2020 she was awarded the prestigious Earle B. Barnes Award for Leadership for outstanding achievements in Chemical Research Management. Wendy received a Ph.D. in chemistry from Princeton University and was an American Cancer Society Postdoctoral Fellow at Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center.
DEM Bio is pioneering the next generation of immunotherapeutics that unleash the innate immune system to eliminate tumors by targeting 'don't eat me' (DEM) and 'eat me' (EM) signals on cancer cells, macrophages and other myeloid effector cells. Founded by Longwood Fund, the company's approach builds on the groundbreaking functional genomics research and discoveries in macrophage biology from its scientific co-founders: Drs. Jonathan Weissman and Kipp Weiskopf of the Whitehead Institute and Dr. Michael Bassik of Stanford University. The proprietary CHoMP™ platform (Co-culture with Human Myeloid Phagocytes) utilizes CRISPR- based functional genomic screens in human cancer cells and/or primary macrophages to discover and validate new DEM and EM signals that could profoundly induce and enhance cancer cell elimination through increased phagocytosis. For further information, see: https://dembiopharma.com/.
Holly Hancock
MacDougall Advisors
hhancock@macdougall.bio
(781) 235-3060
CAMBRIDGE, Mass., March 14, 2022-- DEM BioPharma, Inc. (DEM Bio), an immune-oncology company developing therapies that target signals on cancer cells and macrophages to eliminate cancer, today announced the addition of Miriam Merad, M.D., Ph.D., to its Scientific Advisory Board.
“Dr. Merad is an internationally renowned physician-scientist and a leader in myeloid biology focused on identifying innate immune cells that can be harnessed to treat cancer and other human diseases," said Nenad Grmusa, CEO of DEM Bio. “We are excited to welcome her to DEM Bio and look forward to benefiting from her expertise and guidance as we further the development of our platform and advance novel targets towards oncology therapeutic development."
“DEM Bio's platform is built on a cutting-edge scientific foundation, and the company's unique approach of discovering and targeting novel 'don't eat me' (DEM) and 'eat me' (EM) signals on cancer cells and macrophages has the potential to reveal unexplored immune pathways for treating cancer," said Dr. Merad. “I am delighted to join this team of innovators and help advance DEM Bio's immuno-oncology drug target portfolio."
Dr. Merad is the Director of the Precision Immunology Institute at Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York and the Director of the Mount Sinai Human Immune Monitoring Center (HIMC), which she founded. Her research over the past 20 years has focused on understanding the mechanisms that control the development and functional identity of dendritic cells and macrophages during homeostasis, and examining how these regulations are changed in cancer and inflammatory diseases. Dr. Merad is credited with identifying the tissue resident macrophage lineage and revealing its distinct role in organ physiology and pathophysiology. She has authored more than 200 primary papers and reviews in high profile journals. Dr. Merad is the recipient of the William B. Coley Award for Distinguished Research in Basic and Tumor Immunology. In 2020, she was elected to the National Academy of Sciences in recognition of her contributions to the field of immunology and in 2023, she was named President of the International Union of Immunological Societies (IUIS). Dr. Merad obtained her M.D. at the University of Algiers and completed her residency in hematology/oncology at the University of Paris VII. She holds a Master's degree in biotechnology and a Ph.D. in immunology from Stanford University and University Paris VII.
DEM Bio is pioneering the next generation of immunotherapeutics that unleash the innate immune system to eliminate tumors by targeting 'don't eat me' (DEM) and 'eat me' (EM) signals on cancer cells, macrophages and other myeloid effector cells. Founded by Longwood Fund, the company's approach builds on the groundbreaking functional genomics research and discoveries in macrophage biology from its scientific co-founders: Drs. Jonathan Weissman and Kipp Weiskopf of the Whitehead Institute and Dr. Michael Bassik of Stanford University. The proprietary CHoMP™ platform (Co-culture with Human Myeloid Phagocytes) utilizes CRISPR- based functional genomic screens in human cancer cells and/or primary macrophages to discover and validate new DEM and EM signals that could profoundly induce and enhance cancer cell elimination through increased phagocytosis. For further information, see: https://dembiopharma.com/.
Holly Hancock
MacDougall Advisors
hhancock@macdougall.bio
(781) 235-3060
CAMBRIDGE, Mass., September 27, 2022-- DEM BioPharma, Inc. (DEM Bio), an oncology company developing therapies that target signals on cancer cells and macrophages to eliminate tumors, established its C-suite and scientific leadership teams with the appointment of Nenad Grmusa as Chief Executive Officer and Christophe Quéva, Ph.D., as Chief Scientific Officer. The company simultaneously announced the prior appointment of Loise Francisco-Anderson, Ph.D., as SVP and Head of Biology. Mr. Grmusa, Dr. Quéva and Dr. Francisco-Anderson join experienced industry leader John McCabe who serves as Chief Financial Officer and Chief Operating Officer.
Mr. Grmusa succeeds David Donabedian, Ph.D., Co-founder and start-up Chief Executive Officer of DEM Bio, and Operating Partner of Longwood Fund, who will continue to serve in an advisory capacity to the Company.
“We welcome Mr. Grmusa, Dr. Queva and Dr. Francisco-Anderson whose combined expertise in immuno-oncology, drug discovery and development, business development, and R&D portfolio management will be critical to our team as we progress DEM Bio forward" said Jan Skvarka, Ph.D., Executive Chairman of DEM Bio. “The addition of these three exceptional leaders underscores our recent momentum following our successful launch with $70 million in financing in June of 2022 and puts us in a position to build a leading next-generation immuno-oncology company."
“I am thrilled to join DEM Bio and to work alongside this world-class team of leaders in the emerging and highly promising field of innate immune system checkpoint inhibitors," said Mr. Grmusa. “DEM Bio's successful launch has positioned the Company to continue pioneering the next generation of therapeutics."
Mr. Grmusa brings 20 years of industry experience in business development, pharmaceutical portfolio management, R&D finance and financial planning and analysis. Prior to joining DEM Bio, Mr. Grmusa led the R&D Strategy and External Innovation (RSEI) group at Takeda, after supporting the Head of R&D in managing Takeda's diverse pipeline as Head, Center for External Innovation (CEI). Previously, Mr. Grmusa supported Millennium Pharmaceuticals, Inc. in various financial planning and analytical roles with increasing responsibilities, and 3 years with Boston Biomedical Consultants. Mr. Grmusa holds an M.A. in International Economics and Finance from Brandeis University and a B.S. in Finance from West Virginia University.
“The identification of unexplored 'don't eat me' (DEM) signals on cancer cells and macrophages using DEM Bio's proprietary CHoMP™ platform (Co-culture with Human Myeloid Phagocytes) has the potential to enhance cancer cell elimination through increased phagocytosis," said Dr. Quéva. “I am honored to join this team of innovators and work towards the development of immunotherapeutics to target novel innate immune system checkpoints."
Dr. Quéva joins DEM Bio with nearly 20 years of experience in successful immuno-oncology portfolio- building from target identification through clinical development and regulatory approval. Prior to joining DEM Bio, Dr. Quéva held the role of Chief Scientific Officer and Senior Vice President, Research at Oncorus, Inc. Previously, Dr. Quéva led the generation of an innovative immuno-oncology portfolio of small molecule and antibody programs as the Chief Scientific Officer at iTeos Therapeutics, and has held successive senior positions at AstraZeneca, Amgen and Gilead Sciences. Dr. Quéva holds a Ph.D. in Life and Health Sciences from the University of Lille, France, and trained as a post-doctoral fellow at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle.
Dr. Francisco-Anderson is an experienced senior leader with a demonstrated history of working within the biotech industry. She brings to the DEM Bio team 17 years of experience in immuno-oncology, drug development, oncology, and immunology, with special emphasis in immune checkpoint inhibition and dendritic cell biology. Prior to joining DEM Bio, Dr. Francisco-Anderson held several positions of increasing responsibility at Evelo Biosciences, working first as Senior Director of Immuno-oncology Research and later as VP of Discovery, Innovation and Oncology. Previously, Dr. Francisco-Anderson served as Scientific Group Leader and Senior Principal Investigator, Immunology, at GSK. Dr. Francisco- Anderson received her Ph.D. in Immunology from the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and completed her post-doctoral training at Harvard Medical School in the laboratory of Dr. Arlene Sharpe.
“On behalf of the entire board, I would like to thank David for his significant contributions as co-founder and start-up CEO to DEM Bio," said Christoph Westphal, M.D., Ph.D., Founding CEO, DEM Bio, and Founding Partner of Longwood Fund. “Under David's leadership, the Company has raised $70 million and attracted a top tier syndicate of investors, identified incubator lab space and built out the scientific and leadership team. I look forward to working with David on our next Longwood new company."
DEM Bio is pioneering the next generation of immunotherapeutics that unleash the innate immune system to eliminate tumors by targeting 'don't eat me' (DEM) and 'eat me' (EM) signals on cancer cells, macrophages and other myeloid effector cells. Founded by Longwood Fund, the company's approach builds on the groundbreaking functional genomics research and discoveries in macrophage biology from its scientific co-founders: Drs. Jonathan Weissman and Kipp Weiskopf of the Whitehead Institute and Dr. Michael Bassik of Stanford University. The proprietary CHoMP™ platform (Co-culture with Human Myeloid Phagocytes) utilizes CRISPR-based functional genomic screens in human cancer cells and/or primary macrophages to discover and validate new DEM and EM signals that could profoundly induce and enhance cancer cell elimination through increased phagocytosis. For further information, see: https://dembiopharma.com/.
Kari Watson or Holly Hancock
MacDougall Advisors
kwatson@macdougall.bio or hhancock@macdougall.bio
(781) 235-3060
CAMBRIDGE, Mass., June 23, 2022-- DEM BioPharma, Inc. (DEM Bio), an immuno-oncology company developing therapies that target novel innate immune system checkpoints to eliminate cancer, today announced its initial $70 million financing led by founding investor Longwood Fund and Alta Partners, with additional participation from Insight Partners, Pfizer Ventures, Astellas Venture Management, Emerson Collective, UTokyo Innovation Platform and Alexandria Venture Investments.
DEM Bio is pioneering the next generation of immunotherapeutics designed to unleash macrophages and other myeloid effector cells to eliminate tumors by targeting novel 'don't eat me' (DEM) and 'eat me' (EM) signals on cancer cells and macrophages. The company's approach builds on the groundbreaking research from its scientific co-founders:
DEM Bio is focused on accessing the largely untapped opportunity around macrophage biology and innate immune system pathways to discover potent DEM and EM signals on cancers and expand the therapeutic potential of the field beyond the relatively small number of signals targeted by current investigational therapies. The company's proprietary CHoMP™ platform (Co-culture with Human Myeloid Phagocytes) will be used to identify unexplored DEM and EM signals in a systematic and unbiased manner via inter-cellular CRISPR screening using tumor cells, primary macrophages, and other innate immune effector cells.
DEM Bio also announced the appointment of Jan Skvarka, former CEO of Trillium Therapeutics (acquired by Pfizer for $2.22 billion in November 2021), as Executive Chairman. As part of the financing, Christoph Westphal, M.D., Ph.D., Founding CEO, DEM Bio, and Founding Partner Longwood Fund; Dan Janney, Managing Partner, Alta Partners; Dylan Morris, Managing Director, Insight Partners; Marie-Claire Peakman, Ph.D., Principal, Pfizer Ventures; and Hiro Kimura, Ph.D., Investment Director, Astellas Venture Management have joined DEM Bio's Board of Directors.
“Currently known DEM signals have been described in an ad hoc manner. DEM Bio's founders discovered a scalable approach to systematically unlock the potential of innate immune system checkpoints," noted Dr. Westphal.
“This financing from an exceptional group of investors positions us to execute on our ambitious plans to develop the next generation of macrophage checkpoint inhibitors that may revolutionize how we treat cancer," said Mr. Skvarka.
DEM Bio has assembled a world-class Scientific Advisory Board consisting of leaders in the field of CRISPR high-throughput screening, immune phagocytes, cancer biology, and therapeutic development, including co-founders Drs. Weissman, Bassik and Weiskopf, Roarke Kamber, Ph.D., Postdoctoral fellow, Genetics, Stanford School of Medicine, Dian Yang, Ph.D., Postdoctoral fellow, Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research, as well as Kai Wucherpfennig, M.D., Ph.D., Professor and Chair, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute; Dane Wittrup, Ph.D., Professor of Chemical Engineering & Bioengineering, MIT; and Bob Uger, Ph.D., former CSO, Trillium Therapeutics.
“The currently known DEM and EM pathways were discovered serendipitously," said Dr. Bassik. “Similar to other areas of immunotherapy, there are likely other signals that are more potent and offer better therapeutic targets, but no one has yet taken a systematic approach to identifying those pathways."
“By leveraging cutting-edge functional genomics and macrophage biology, we created the CHoMP platform to discover new DEM/EM signals in a fully unbiased and systematic way," said Dr. Weiskopf.
“CHoMP is a highly differentiated platform built on unique, proprietary CRISPR screening capabilities in primary human cells, enabling DEM Bio to methodically evaluate unexplored DEM/EM signals," said Dr. Weissman.
The CHoMP platform has identified a number of promising new DEM/EM signals, including the novel DEM pathway APMAP. In preclinical work, targeting APMAP enhanced tumor cell phagocytosis in multiple cancer cell types and animal cancer models, and demonstrated synergistic effects with a broad range of tumor-binding antibodies.
David Donabedian, Co-founder and start-up CEO of DEM Bio, and Operating Partner, Longwood Fund added, “APMAP is just one of the promising programs identified using the CHoMP platform, and the encouraging initial data on this pathway has helped validate our differentiated approach to identifying novel, potent DEM/EM signals. The company plans to use proceeds from this financing to further develop our platform and to advance our portfolio of novel targets towards therapeutic development in oncology."
DEM Bio is pioneering the next generation of immunotherapeutics that unleash the innate immune system to eliminate tumors by targeting 'don't eat me' (DEM) and 'eat me' (EM) signals on cancer cells, macrophages and other myeloid effector cells. Founded by Longwood Fund, the company's approach builds on the groundbreaking functional genomics research and discoveries in macrophage biology from its scientific co-founders: Drs. Jonathan Weissman and Kipp Weiskopf of the Whitehead Institute and Dr. Michael Bassik of Stanford University. The proprietary CHoMP™ platform (Co-culture with Human Myeloid Phagocytes) utilizes CRISPR-based functional genomic screens in human cancer cells and/or primary macrophages to discover and validate new DEM and EM signals that could profoundly induce and enhance cancer cell elimination through increased phagocytosis.
Kari Watson or Nicholas Chang
kwatson@macdougall.bio or nchang@macdougall.bio
(781) 235-3060