Amunix, Inc.

Company is developing bespoke radiopharmaceuticals with capital efficient and rapid approach Proceeds to support progression of five candidates into the clinic, expansion of early-stage programs, accelerated growth of team, and completion of purpose-built research facilities BOSTON and VANCOUVER, BC, Dec. 14, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Alpha-9 Theranostics Inc., a clinical stage company developing differentiated and highly targeted radiopharmaceuticals with the potential to meaningfully improve the treatment of people living with cancer, today announced an oversubscribed $75 million Series B financing. The round was led by Nextech Invest, with participation from Frazier Life Sciences, Samsara BioCapital and Quark Venture in addition to existing investors Longitude Capital and BVF Partners. Alpha-9 is engineering highly effective, bespoke radiopharmaceuticals for the treatment of solid and hematologic malignancies. These molecules are optimized to selectively deliver radiation to tumor sites while minimizing off-target effects. The Series B funding will support advancement of the company's five programs into the clinic over the next two years while expanding its early-stage programs. "We have always believed in the company, its founders, and the potential for radiotherapies to effectively address a wide range of cancers," said David Hirsch, M.D., Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer of Alpha-9. "Our team has done excellent work progressing our pipeline of novel radiopharmaceuticals over the last year, and we are excited to have the support of these top-tier investors. With this new investor partnership, we are well positioned to progress multiple targets into the clinic, harnessing the potential of radiopharmaceuticals to realize more effective treatments for people living with cancer." Alpha-9's systematic approach to radiotherapeutic design is fueled by a toolbox of technologies and chemistries, which offers broad potential for expansion into a multitude of oncology targets. Leveraging its founders' deep expertise in the modification of peptides and small molecules, Alpha-9 tailors each component of its radiopharmaceuticals – binder, linker, chelator and radioisotope – to improve the molecule's overall performance. The company's development process includes human imaging and dosimetry studies, which provide early feedback on molecule design. This approach is capital efficient and rapid, resulting in de-risked compounds prior to later-stage clinical evaluation. "The radiopharmaceutical field has evolved over the past several years, attributable to scientific advances, translational data and strong clinical efficacy," said Melissa McCracken, Ph.D., Partner at Nextech Invest and Alpha-9 Board member. "This new generation of radiopharmaceuticals shows improved tumor uptake with limited off-target exposure, resulting in drugs that have better safety and efficacy profiles in the clinic. We are excited by the progress Alpha-9 has demonstrated and are proud to support expansion of its programs and facilities." In addition to advancing the clinical pipeline, the Series B will enable Alpha-9 to grow its team to support discovery programs. Furthermore, the company will complete the build-out of its research facilities in Vancouver, BC, which will house the chemistry, biology, translational research and radiochemistry teams, as well as support product formulation. Alpha-9 has also invested in radioisotope supply through agreements with multiple lutetium and actinium partners. The company looks forward to expanding these relationships with the Series B proceeds. The company, headquartered in both Boston and Vancouver, was founded in 2019 by François Bénard, M.D., Kuo-Shyan Lin, Ph.D., and David Perrin, Ph.D., leading researchers from BC Cancer and the University of British Columbia with deep expertise in the modification of peptides and small-molecules to create novel radiopharmaceuticals. Melissa McCracken, Ph.D., Partner at Nextech Invest, Patrick Heron, M.B.A., Managing Partner at Frazier Life Sciences, Cory Freedland, Ph.D., Partner at Samsara BioCapital, and Matthew Young, M.B.A., Managing Director at Longitude Capital will join the Alpha-9 Board of Directors, along with Darcy Mootz, Ph.D., Site Head at Amunix, a Sanofi Company (Chief Business Officer prior to sale), who will join as a Board advisor. About Alpha-9 Theranostics Alpha-9 Theranostics is a clinical stage, radiopharmaceutical company developing differentiated and highly targeted radiopharmaceuticals with the potential to meaningfully improve the treatment of people living with cancer. Applying proprietary technologies and deep-foundational expertise, Alpha-9 is on the forefront of engineering bespoke radiopharmaceuticals that are optimized to selectively deliver radiation to tumor sites while minimizing off-target effects. Alpha-9 is advancing a robust pipeline of novel radiopharmaceuticals with a systematic approach to molecule design that offers broad potential for expansion into several validated oncology targets. Alpha-9 was founded by researchers from the University of British Columbia and BC Cancer, with the goal of improving the lives of patients affected by metastatic cancers. For more information, please visit . SOURCE Alpha-9 Theranostics Inc.

SAN DIEGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- RayzeBio, Inc., a targeted radiopharmaceutical company developing an innovative pipeline against validated solid tumor targets, appointed Rich Heyman, Ph.D. as chair of the board of directors. Dr. Heyman is an accomplished biotechnology veteran with over 25 years of operational experience. Dr. Heyman has a track record of taking a patient-centric approach and helping biotechnology companies create value for all stakeholders. He was recently the Chairman of Amunix Pharmaceuticals, Inc., which was acquired by Sanofi for $1.2 billion, and Vividion Therapeutics, which was acquired by Bayer for up to $2 billion. “The field of targeted radiopharmaceuticals has tremendous potential and RayzeBio is establishing itself as the leader in this emerging modality. I have worked with Ken before and have been impressed by his relentless pursuit to bring innovative products to help patients. I am thrilled to join forces with Ken and the board to help realize the vision of this very exciting company,” said Dr. Heyman. “Rich is a repeatedly successful entrepreneur who has been behind several products that improved the lives of cancer patients,” said Ken Song, M.D., President and CEO of RayzeBio. “Rich brings a wealth of practical knowledge and experience and will be a fantastic partner as we look to continue leading innovation for the targeted radiopharmaceuticals industry.” Dr. Heyman currently serves on the board of directors for Enliven, ORIC Pharmaceuticals, PMV Pharma, and Vividion Therapeutics. He is also the Vice Chairman of The Salk Institute, on the Board Foundation for the American Association for Cancer Research, and on the executive committee at the University of California San Diego Moores Cancer Center. Previously, Dr. Heyman was the co-founder and CEO of Aragon and Seragon Pharmaceuticals, two San Diego biotech companies focused on discovering and developing therapeutics targeting hormone-dependent cancers. Johnson & Johnson purchased Aragon in 2013 and Genentech/Roche purchased Seragon in 2014. About RayzeBio RayzeBio is a biotechnology company focused on improving outcomes for people with cancer by harnessing the power of targeted radioisotopes. With a focus on clinically validated solid tumor targets, RayzeBio is developing novel drug conjugates to deliver potent therapeutic radioisotopes such as Actinium-225, an alpha-emitter. The company is backed by a syndicate of sophisticated healthcare investors and was established in 2020. For additional information, please visit

FLORHAM PARK, N.J., Sept. 26, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Phathom Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq: PHAT), a biopharmaceutical company focused on developing and commercializing novel treatments for gastrointestinal diseases and disorders, today announced the appointment of James “Jamie” Topper, M.D., Ph.D., to its Board of Directors. Dr. Topper currently serves as a Managing Partner at Frazier Life Sciences, which invests globally in private and publicly traded companies that discover, develop, and commercialize innovative biopharmaceuticals. He is also the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Frazier Lifesciences Acquisition Corporation (Nasdaq: FLAC). In addition to those leadership roles, he serves on the boards of Alpine Immune Sciences (Nasdaq: ALPN) and AnaptysBio (Nasdaq: ANAB). Dr. Topper is rejoining Phathom’s Board having served as a Phathom Board member from its creation in January 2018 until May 2021. “We are very excited to welcome Jamie back to our Board at a pivotal time in Phathom’s history, as we transition from a clinical-stage company into a commercial organization,” said Terrie Curran, President and Chief Executive Officer of Phathom. “Jamie knows Phathom well and we will benefit from his experience and expertise in growing successful biotechnology companies. As we continue to prepare for our product launches in the first quarter of next year, we believe Jamie’s addition to our board will provide valuable perspectives and experience.” Dr. Topper joined Frazier Life Sciences in 2003 and has served as a Managing Partner since 2005. He has invested across over 35 biopharma companies, including Acerta Pharma BV (sold to AstraZeneca), Amunix Pharmaceuticals (sold to Sanofi), Calistoga Pharmaceuticals (co-founder, sold to Gilead Sciences), Mavupharma (sold to AbbVie), and Portola Pharmaceuticals (co-founder, sold to Alexion). Prior to joining Frazier Life Sciences, he served as head of the cardiovascular research and development franchise at Millennium Pharmaceuticals and ran Millennium San Francisco (formerly COR Therapeutics). Prior to the merger of COR and Millennium, Dr. Topper served as the Vice President of Biology at COR and was responsible for managing all of its research activities. He also served on the faculties of Stanford Medical School and Harvard Medical School prior to joining COR. Dr. Topper received his M.D. and Ph.D. in biophysics from Stanford University and completed his postgraduate training in internal medicine and cardiovascular disease at the Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts. He also holds a B.S. from the University of Michigan. About Phathom Pharmaceuticals, Inc.Phathom Pharmaceuticals is a biopharmaceutical company focused on the development and commercialization of novel treatments for gastrointestinal diseases and disorders. Phathom has in-licensed the exclusive rights in the United States, Europe, and Canada to vonoprazan, a first-in-class potassium-competitive acid blocker (PCAB). Vonoprazan-based regimens are approved in the U.S. as part of a co-packaged product in combination with antibiotics for the treatment of H. pylori infection in adults, marketed as VOQUEZNA™ TRIPLE PAK™ (vonoprazan, amoxicillin, clarithromycin) and VOQUEZNA™ DUAL PAK™ (vonoprazan, amoxicillin). Phathom has a New Drug Application under review by the FDA for vonoprazan in erosive esophagitis (EE) and is studying the use of vonoprazan for the treatment of non-erosive reflux disease (NERD). For more information about Phathom, visit the Company’s website at www.phathompharma.com and follow the Company on LinkedIn and Twitter. CONTACTS Media and Investor Contact:Nick Benedetto1-877-742-8466media@phathompharma.com ir@phathompharma.com