TRIANA will receive an upfront payment of $49 million, and is eligible to receive future milestone payments and royalties
TRIANA Biomedicines, Inc. (TRIANA), a leading biopharmaceutical company focused on building a target-first molecular glue discovery pipeline for inactivating difficult to address disease targets, announced today that it has entered into a strategic collaboration and licensing agreement with Pfizer to discover novel molecular glue degraders for multiple targets in several disease areas, including oncology.
“We are thrilled to partner with Pfizer to create potentially transformative medicines for disease targets with critical unmet needs, leveraging our molecular glue and E3-ligase pairing platform” said Patrick Trojer, Ph.D., President and Chief Executive Officer of TRIANA Biomedicines. “This collaboration agreement signifies an important milestone in the evolution of TRIANA, as the company advances towards delivering on its product focused strategy.”
“This collaboration with TRIANA Biomedicines on molecular glue discovery reflects our commitment to exploring cutting-edge technologies to drive the next wave of potential breakthroughs,” said Jeff Settleman, Ph.D., Chief Scientific Officer of Pfizer Oncology. “We look forward to working together to advance scientific innovation for patients living with cancer.”
Under the terms of the collaboration agreement, TRIANA will receive an upfront payment of $49 million, and is eligible to receive potential future milestone payments exceeding $1.5 billion as well as tiered royalties. TRIANA will leverage its target-first and proximity-first molecular glue discovery platform to identify novel molecular glue degraders against multiple targets across various disease areas including oncology.
TRIANA will lead the discovery and identification of potential development candidates. Pfizer has the exclusive option for an exclusive license to pursue further preclinical and clinical development.
About TRIANA Biomedicines Inc
TRIANA Biomedicines is a private biotechnology company, headquartered in Lexington, Massachusetts and focused on building the leading molecular glue discovery platform to inactivate disease targets that are difficult to address with any other modality. TRIANA’s drug discovery engine is powered by high-resolution structural insights, stateof-the-art AI and computational tools, and bespoke chemical libraries. TRIANA’s target first and highly mechanistic approach to molecular glue discovery is currently focused on inducing or enhancing the degradation of high-profile cancer targets. The therapeutic approach pioneered by TRIANA has the potential to fundamentally change the paradigm of small molecule drug discovery and bring significant therapeutic benefit to many patients.
Contact
Investor Relations and Media Contact
Kia Khaleghpour, PhD
IR@trianabio.com
TRIANA Biomedicines, Inc. (TRIANA), an innovative biopharmaceutical company focused on advancing a target-first and rational molecular glue discovery platform to address difficult to drug disease targets, today announced that Dr. Patrick Trojer, President and Chief Executive Officer, will present at the UBS Biotechnology Private Company Virtual Symposium on Wednesday September 20, 2023 at 3:30 PM ET.
About TRIANA Biomedicines Inc
TRIANA Biomedicines is a private biotechnology company, headquartered in Lexington, Massachusetts and focused on building the leading molecular glue discovery platform to regulate disease targets that are difficult to address with any other modality. TRIANA’s drug discovery engine is powered by high-resolution structural insights, state-of-the-art AI and computational tools, and bespoke chemical libraries. TRIANA’s target first and rational approach to molecular glue discovery is currently focused on inducing or enhancing the degradation of high-profile cancer targets. The therapeutic approach pioneered by TRIANA has the potential to fundamentally change the paradigm of small molecule drug discovery and bring significant therapeutic benefits to patients.
Contact
Investor Relations and Media Contact
Kia Khaleghpour, PhD
IR@trianabio.com
- Appointments strengthen the leadership team and deepen expertise in drug discovery, oncology research, and strategic partnerships
- Dr. Brian Jones appointed to Scientific Advisory Board
TRIANA Biomedicines, Inc. (TRIANA), a leading biopharmaceutical company focused on advancing a target-first and rational molecular glue discovery platform to address difficult to drug disease targets, today announced the appointments of Dr. Vito Palombella as Chief Scientific Officer and Dr. Reza Mazhari as Chief Business Officer. Additionally, Dr. Brian Jones is appointed to the growing Scientific Advisory Board (SAB).
“I am thrilled to have Vito and Reza join the team at such a pivotal time for the company. As we rapidly advance our discovery pipeline currently focused on targeted protein degradation, Vito’s oncology and drug development expertise and Reza’s prowess in business development and portfolio strategy complement and strengthen our growing team. Both share a depth in translational sciences that will play a central role in the development of TRIANA’s future molecular glue products,” said Dr. Patrick Trojer, President and CEO of TRIANA. “Also, I am delighted to welcome Dr. Brian Jones to our Scientific Advisory Board. We are privileged to have the opportunity to work with a premier group of molecular glue thought leaders on drug development initiatives from discovery through drug commercialization. Their insights will help advance our efforts to build our world class molecular glue discovery platform and a robust pipeline of innovative molecular glue therapeutics.”
“I joined TRIANA because of its high powered scientific team and its product-focused approach to exploit this exciting new modality to tackle undrugged cancer targets,” said Dr. Vito Palombella. “We are at the cusp of creating transformative medicines for patients.”
“I am very pleased to join the TRIANA team as we explore opportunities which leverage the company’s proprietary scientific platform and discovery pipeline,” said Dr. Reza Mazhari. “There is a growing interest in unlocking the full potential of molecular glues to develop precision medicines for a broad range of indications, allowing TRIANA to consider various value-creating asset- and/or platform-focused business development opportunities in the months and years ahead.”
“This is an exciting time for TRIANA as they deliver on the potential of molecular glue therapies. I look forward to working with the company and the other members of the SAB in guiding the company to address the undruggable dilemma facing many patients with first-in-class therapies,” said Dr. Brian Jones.
Vito J. Palombella, PhD, joins TRIANA with 30 years of scientific leadership and experience advancing first-in-class therapeutic programs, as well as a successful track record of building drug discovery and development organizations. Prior to joining TRIANA, he was the Chief Scientific Officer (CSO) at Surface Oncology, where he led the non-clinical research and development organization. Prior to that, Dr. Palombella was EVP and CSO at Infinity Pharmaceuticals, where he was responsible for drug discovery and preclinical development. He held roles of increasing scientific responsibility at Syntonix Pharmaceuticals, Millennium Pharmaceuticals, LeukoSite Inc, and ProScript. Dr. Palombella was involved in the discovery and development of bortezomib and duvelisib, both for cancer therapy. Dr. Palombella holds a PhD in Viral Oncology and Immunology from the New York University Medical Center and completed his postdoctoral fellowship at Harvard University.
Reza Mazhari, PhD, brings to TRIANA more than twenty years of business development as well as drug discovery and development experience. Prior to joining TRIANA, he was the Head of Search and Evaluation for Oncology at Novartis, where he led numerous successful in-licensing deals that contributed to the early-stage oncology pipeline and expanded the portfolio of enabling technologies. Dr. Mazhari was also responsible for out-licensing and divestment efforts at Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research (NIBR). Previously, Dr. Mazhari was the Vice President of Translational Medicine at Rexahn Pharmaceuticals. Prior to that, he held dual responsibilities for leading drug discovery and early development in addition to leading the company’s business development efforts at Cerecor. He was the co-founder of Cardioxyl Pharmaceuticals which was acquired by Bristol-Myers Squibb for $1.8 billion. He began his career as a faculty member at the School of Medicine in The Johns Hopkins University. Dr. Mazhari holds a PhD in Bioengineering from University of California at San Diego and a post-doctoral research fellowship in Cardiovascular Medicine from The Johns Hopkins School of Medicine.
Brian Jones, PhD, is a seasoned drug discovery leader with over 30 years of industry experience. He is responsible for over 20 INDs across a broad spectrum of therapeutic indications. Most recently, he incubated, launched and was the CSO at Cedilla Therapeutics, which successfully discovered distinctive conditional modulators of targeted cancer biology. He was Entrepreneur in Residence at Third Rock Ventures, with active involvement in a wide variety of therapeutic areas and responsible for the incubation and launch of several private biotech companies. Previously, he was Head of Discovery Chemistry and Chemical Biology at Novartis Institute for Biomedical Research. Dr. Jones holds a PhD in Organic Chemistry from Imperial College of Science at University of London and a NATO post-doctoral research fellowship from Yale University.
About TRIANA Biomedicines Inc
TRIANA Biomedicines is a private biotechnology company, headquartered in Lexington, Massachusetts and focused on building the leading molecular glue discovery platform to regulate disease targets that are difficult to address with any other modality. TRIANA’s drug discovery engine is powered by high-resolution structural insights, state-of-the-art AI and computational tools, and bespoke chemical libraries. TRIANA’s target first and rational approach to molecular glue discovery is currently focused on inducing or enhancing the degradation of high-profile cancer targets. The therapeutic approach pioneered by TRIANA has the potential to fundamentally change the paradigm of small molecule drug discovery and bring significant therapeutic benefits to patients.
Contact
Investor Relations and Media Contact
Kia Khaleghpour, PhD
IR@trianabio.com
TRIANA Biomedicines, Inc. (TRIANA), a leading biopharmaceutical company focused on building a target-first and rational molecular glue discovery platform for inactivating difficult to address disease targets, announced today that it has been included in BioSpace’s NextGen “Class of 2023” list featuring the most promising new life sciences companies of 2023.
BioSpace, the leading source for life sciences news and careers, has been recognizing the most exciting startups in biotech and pharma for the past nine years in its NextGen list. Twenty-five companies were selected this year, spanning organizations across all therapeutic areas.
“I am excited to see TRIANA’s nomination to BioSpace’s NextGen ‘Class of 2023’. Molecular glues are a powerful modality for developing precision medicines that can transform patient lives,” said Dr. Patrick Trojer, President and CEO of TRIANA.
BioSpace’s editorial team analyzed multiple components as determining factors: finance, collaborations, pipeline, growth potential and innovation. Points were awarded for each criteria and companies ranked accordingly. This year’s list includes top-scoring organizations that launched between September 2021 and September 2022 with a Series A funding.
The complete NextGen “Class of 2023” list can be viewed on BioSpace.
About TRIANA Biomedicines Inc
TRIANA Biomedicines is a private biotechnology company, headquartered in Waltham, Massachusetts and focused on building the leading molecular glue discovery platform to regulate disease targets that are difficult to address with any other modality. TRIANA’s drug discovery engine is powered by high-resolution structural insights, state-of-the-art AI and computational tools, and bespoke chemical libraries. TRIANA’s target-first and rational approach to molecular glue discovery is currently focused on inducing or enhancing the degradation of high-profile cancer targets. The therapeutic approach pioneered by TRIANA has the potential to fundamentally change the paradigm of small molecule drug discovery and bring significant therapeutic benefits to patients.
About BioSpace
BioSpace is the digital hub for life science news and jobs. BioSpace provides essential insights, opportunities and tools to connect innovative organizations and talented professionals who advance health and quality of life across the globe. Learn more at www.biospace.com
Contacts
Investor Relations and Media Contact
Kia Khaleghpour, PhD
IR@trianabio.com
Chantal Dresner
Marketing Director, BioSpace
chantal.dresner@biospace.com
TRIANA Biomedicines, Inc. (TRIANA), an innovative biopharmaceutical company focused on building a target-first and rational molecular glue discovery platform for inactivating difficult to address disease targets, today announced that Dr. Patrick Trojer, President and Chief Executive Officer, will present at UBS Virtual Biotechnology Private Company Symposium on Thursday September 22, 2022 at 4:00 PM ET.
About TRIANA Biomedicines Inc
TRIANA Biomedicines is a private biotechnology company, headquartered in Waltham, Massachusetts and focused on building the leading molecular glue discovery platform to regulate disease targets that are difficult to address with any other modality. TRIANA’s drug discovery engine is powered by high-resolution structural insights, state-of-the-art AI and computational tools, and bespoke chemical libraries. TRIANA’s target-first and rational approach to molecular glue discovery is currently focused on inducing or enhancing the degradation of high-profile cancer targets. The therapeutic approach pioneered by TRIANA has the potential to fundamentally change the paradigm of small molecule drug discovery and bring significant therapeutic benefits to patients.
Contact
Investor Relations and Media Contact
Kia Khaleghpour, PhD
IR@trianabio.com
Robert A. Copeland, PhD and Adrian M. Senderowicz, MD join Scientific Advisory Board
TRIANA Biomedicines, Inc. (TRIANA), a leading biopharmaceutical company focused on building a target-first and rational molecular glue discovery platform for inactivating difficult to address disease targets, today announced the addition of Robert A. Copeland, PhD, and Adrian M. Senderowicz, MD to its Scientific Advisory Board (SAB). The SAB, which is comprised of industry and academic leaders in machine learning applied to protein-protein interaction, protein science, on-bead and DNA-encoded compound screening, targeted protein degradation and clinical oncology will provide profound insights to advance the company’s research activities.
“The prestigious group of scientific thought leaders we have assembled as our Scientific Advisory Board will provide TRIANA with scientific and clinical development expertise while we execute on our target-first and rational approach to molecular glue discovery,” said Dr. Patrick Trojer, President and CEO of TRIANA. “Each member brings exceptional and complementary skills and experiences as we utilize the company’s innovative platform for evaluation and prioritization of disease target and E3 ubiquitin ligase pairs as well as the discovery of molecular glues.”
Robert A. Copeland, PhD, is a renowned expert in the field of protein science and enzymology. He has contributed more than 200 publications to the scientific literature, holds several patents and has authored books in the areas of protein science and enzymology. Dr. Copeland is a co-founder, President and Chief Scientific Officer at Accent Therapeutics. He was formerly the President of Research and Chief Scientific Officer at Epizyme, Inc., and before that served as the Vice President of Cancer Biology in the Oncology Center of Excellence in Drug Discovery at GlaxoSmithKline. He has contributed to drug discovery and development efforts leading to numerous investigational new drugs entering human clinical trials, of which several have received regulatory approval. He is a member of the editorial board of Molecular Cancer Therapeutics and ACS Medicinal Chemistry Letters. Dr. Copeland holds a position on the advisory board of the Dana-Farber Accelerator Fund and is an SAB member at Rectify Pharma.
“I am excited to join the Scientific Advisory Board of TRIANA. The combination of focus on ubiquitin biology, machine learning and targeted protein degradation used at TRIANA allows for rapid identification and creation of new medicines for patients,” said Dr. Copeland.
Adrian M. Senderowicz, MD, brings to TRIANA more than two decades of expertise in drug development and life sciences. He was the principal investigator for a multitude of clinical trials in solid and hematological tumors. Prior to joining TRIANA, Dr. Senderowicz served as the Chief Medical Officer at Constellation Pharmaceuticals, where he was instrumental in paving the clinical and regulatory path for the company’s lead clinical development program. Dr. Senderowicz also served as the Chief Medical Officer at Cerulean Pharma, where he helped secure fast-track designation for the company’s lead clinical development program in two indications. Previously, Dr. Senderowicz held roles of increasing responsibility at Ignyta, Inc., Sanofi Oncology, Tokai Pharmaceuticals and AstraZeneca plc. He began his career as an investigator at the National Cancer Institute before joining the FDA’s CDER as a senior medical reviewer in the Division of Drug Oncology Products. Dr. Senderowicz currently serves on the board of directors of Oncoinvent SA, Step Pharma and Puma Biotechnology, Inc.
“I’m delighted to be appointed to TRIANA’s Scientific Advisory Board, and to be part of such a prominent group of industry experts,” said Dr. Senderowicz. “Molecular glues represent a powerful and innate mechanism in the human body, that can harness targeted protein degradation in diseases such as cancer which is frequently associated with dysregulated protein homeostasis.”
In addition to Drs. Adrian Senderowicz and Robert Copeland, the SAB includes Thomas Kodadek, PhD, co-founder of TRIANA and Professor of Chemistry at UF Scripps, Michele Pagano, MD, Chair of Department of Biochemistry and Pharmacology at NYU Langone Health, Danny Huang, PhD, Professor of Cancer Structural Biology at the Institute of Cancer Sciences of the University of Glasgow, Fleur Ferguson, PhD, Assistant Professor of Biochemistry and Cell Biology at the Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Science of the University of California San Diego, and John Karanicolas, PhD, co-leader in Molecular Therapeutics and Professor at Fox Chase Cancer Center.
About TRIANA Biomedicines Inc
TRIANA Biomedicines is a private biotechnology company, headquartered in Waltham, Massachusetts and focused on building the leading molecular glue discovery platform to regulate disease targets that are difficult to address with any other modality. TRIANA’s drug discovery engine is powered by high-resolution structural insights, state-of-the-art AI and computational tools, and bespoke chemical libraries. TRIANA’s target first and rational approach to molecular glue discovery is currently focused on inducing or enhancing the degradation of high-profile cancer targets. The therapeutic approach pioneered by TRIANA has the potential to fundamentally change the paradigm of small molecule drug discovery and bring significant therapeutic benefits to patients.
Contact
Investor Relations and Media Contact
Kia Khaleghpour, PhD
IR@trianabio.com
- A premier, target-first and rational molecular glue discovery platform to identify preferred E3 ligases for priority disease targets
- Series A will fund activities to identify multiple, rationally designed molecular glue clinical candidates
- Dr. Patrick Trojer joins as President & CEO & Board Director
TRIANA Biomedicines, Inc. (Triana) today announced their launch with $110 million in total funding to establish a best-in-class, scalable platform to discover and develop “molecular glues”. Triana’s platform aims to generate products that stabilize pre-existing or create de novo interactions between two proteins and alter the fate or functionality of the disease target. Molecular glues may allow for the pursuit of highly disease-relevant targets long considered undruggable or inadequately addressed by traditional drug discovery approaches.
Triana was originally seeded by RA Capital Management and Atlas Venture. This Series A is co-led by Lightspeed Venture Partners and the company’s seed investors. Pfizer Ventures, Surveyor Capital (a Citadel company) and Logos Capital also participate in this round. In November of 2021, Dr. Patrick Trojer joined Triana as President & CEO to lead the company’s funding efforts. Dr. Trojer previously served as CSO of Constellation Pharmaceuticals. In addition to Dr. Trojer, the leadership team includes CTO and co-founder Dr. Jesse Chen, CSO Dr. Jean-Christophe Harmange and SVP of Biology Dr. Kathleen Seyb.
By pursuing both a target-first and rational approach to molecular glue discovery, Triana aspires to develop products for a wide range of therapeutic applications. The company’s innovative platform enables evaluation and prioritization of over 600 known E3 ubiquitin ligases and their disease-relevant targets, and rapid exploration of diverse chemical space for identification of molecular glue degraders.
“Triana aims to solve the number one problem in the molecular glue field by selecting the best available ligase for each target to enable systematic molecular glue discovery,” said Dr. Trojer.
Dr. Trojer serves on the Triana Board of Directors alongside institutional directors Atlas Partner Dr. David Grayzel, RA Capital Managing Director Dr. Josh Resnick, Lightspeed Partner Dr. Shelley Chu, Executive Director at Pfizer and Pfizer Ventures Partner Dr. Christopher O’Donnell, and independently elected directors of the board Dr. Simon Read, Jigar Raythatha and Dr. Milind Deshpande.
“We are excited to lead the Series A for Triana, which operates at the compelling and unique intersection of machine learning, structural biophysics and glue-focused DEL screening,” said Dr. Chu.
“Triana is pioneering the next frontier in targeted protein degradation,” said Dr. Resnick. “Building on our past support for companies working on induced proximity, Triana extends the profound benefits of degradation with rational glue discovery.”
“Triana has built a world-leading team to develop glues,” said Dr. Grayzel. “Together with our co-founders and outstanding scientific advisors in ubiquitin biology, machine learning and targeted protein degradation, we are uniquely positioned to create new medicines for patients.”
In addition to Dr. Tom Kodadek of Scripps, Triana’s scientific advisory board includes Dr. Michele Pagano of NYU and HHMI, Dr. John Karanicolas of the Fox Chase Cancer Center, Dr. Danny Huang of the Beatson Institute and Dr. Fleur Ferguson of UCSD.
About TRIANA Biomedicines Inc
TRIANA Biomedicines is a greater Boston biotechnology company building the leading molecular glue discovery platform to regulate disease targets that are difficult to address with any other modality. TRIANA’s drug discovery engine is powered by high- resolution structural insights, state-of-the-art AI and computational tools, and bespoke chemical libraries. TRIANA’s target first and rational approach to molecular glue discovery is currently focused on inducing or enhancing the degradation of high-profile cancer targets. The therapeutic approach pioneered by TRIANA has the potential to fundamentally change the paradigm of small molecule drug discovery and bring significant therapeutic benefits to patients.
Contact
Investor Relations and Media Contact
Kia Khaleghpour, PhD
IR@trianabio.com