In January 2024, Washington University in St. Louis and Deerfield Management announced the launch of VeritaScience, a private R&D collaboration designed to advance the discovery, clinical development and commercialization of promising therapeutic and diagnostic candidates with potential to benefit human health.
Launched in 1994, Deerfield Management Company is an investment firm dedicated to advancing healthcare through information, investment, and philanthropy—all toward the end goal of cures for disease, improved quality of life, and reduced cost of care.
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Deerfield Management Announces $25M Grant from New York State and Empire State Development to Build a Lab of the Future at Healthcare Innovation Campus, Cure® CURE OPENS XSEED AWARD APPLICATIONS TO SUPPORT UNDERFUNDED AND UNDERREPRESENTED NYC LIFE SCIENCE STARTUPS WITH UP TO $500,000 Washington University and Deerfield Management Launch VeritaScience to Drive Drug Discovery Deerfield Foundation Awards More Than $1.4 Million to Improve Health, Accelerate Innovation and Promote Equity
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Washington University and Deerfield Management Launch VeritaScience to Drive Drug Discovery
Deerfield Management makes 10-year commitment of up to $130 million to accelerate translation of Washington University discoveries to improve human health
New York, New York, – January 16, 2024 Washington University in St. Louis and Deerfield Management (“Deerfield”), a healthcare investment firm, today announced the launch of VeritaScience, a new private R&D collaboration designed to advance the discovery, clinical development and commercialization of promising therapeutic and diagnostic candidates with potential to benefit human health.
To support projects that originate from the collaboration, Deerfield has committed up to $130 million over the next 10 years, along with functional expertise, through a newly formed company. Washington University’s investigators will have the opportunity to work with Deerfield’s internal team, which has expertise across the drug development continuum from discovery through commercialization. VeritaScience is named to honor Washington University’s motto “Per Veritatem Vis,” which means “Strength Through Truth” in Latin.
The VeritaScience collaboration complements the university’s existing efforts in drug development and its innovative culture. Project proposals can be designed around any disease indication. Washington University’s investigators will submit project proposals to VeritaScience and its scientific review team, which is led by Deerfield experts and guided by the university’s Office of Technology Management and Washington University School of Medicine’s (“WashU Medicine”) business development team. Accepted drug discovery projects will receive a development plan aimed at achieving Investigational New Drug readiness and may be eligible for additional funding and support for the creation of separate, start-up companies.
Washington University is known worldwide for its innovative research programs in the medical sciences, aimed at improving human health. The university currently is ranked #7 in National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding among U.S. universities, with $633 million received in the 2023 federal fiscal year. This includes nearly $584 million in funding for research initiatives at WashU Medicine, which currently is ranked #2 in NIH funding among U.S. medical schools.
“The exciting collaboration with Deerfield Management to create VeritaScience represents yet another major approach to leveraging the research capabilities of Washington University,” said David H. Perlmutter, MD, the George and Carol Bauer Endowed Dean of Washington University School of Medicine, executive vice chancellor for medical affairs, and the Spencer T. and Ann W. Olin Distinguished Professor. “Deerfield has extensive experience in academic-industry partnerships, and this agreement allows us to further advance the ‘virtuous cycle of academic medicine’ and our commitment to translating ever more of the landscape-altering discoveries happening in our labs into tools and therapies that will concretely improve human health and alleviate suffering.”
The VeritaScience collaboration is an example of Deerfield’s engagement with research institutions. Currently, Deerfield’s network includes nearly 30 leading research institutions and medical centers, which aims to bring the healthcare ecosystem together to collaborate and learn from each other. Together with its research partners, Deerfield has provided funding and expertise to create spin-off companies that support key avenues from concept to spin-out of novel therapeutic discoveries.
“Throughout the process of forming VeritaScience, what has stood out to our team at Deerfield is the forward-thinking and innovation-focused Washington University culture,” said James Flynn, managing partner of Deerfield. “We intend to equip the researchers of selected projects with flexible capital, expertise, and operational support to help them realize their discoveries’ potential.”
ABOUT WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY
Washington University in St. Louis is counted among the world’s leaders in teaching, research, patient care and service to society. The university draws students and faculty to St. Louis from more than 100 countries and all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Guam, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. The total student body is approximately 14,000 undergraduate, graduate and professional students. Washington University has been affiliated with 25 Nobel laureates, many of whom did a significant portion of their award-winning work at the university. The university offers more than 90 programs and almost 1,500 courses leading to bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees in a broad spectrum of traditional and interdisciplinary fields, with additional opportunities for minor concentrations and individualized programs.
WashU Medicine is a global leader in academic medicine, including biomedical research, patient care and educational programs with 2,800 faculty. Its National Institutes of Health (NIH) research funding portfolio is the second largest among U.S. medical schools, has grown more than 40% in the last six years and, together with institutional investment, WashU Medicine commits well over $1 billion annually to basic and clinical research innovation and training. Its faculty practice is consistently within the top five in the country, with more than 1,800 faculty physicians practicing at over 65 locations and who are also the medical staffs of Barnes-Jewish and St. Louis Children’s hospitals of BJC HealthCare.
ABOUT DEERFIELD MANAGEMENT
Deerfield is an investment management firm committed to advancing healthcare through investment, information and philanthropy. The Firm works across the healthcare ecosystem to connect people, capital, ideas and technology in bold, collaborative and inclusive ways. For more information, please visit www.deerfield.com.
Media Contact:
Anthony Karamourtopoulos
Diane Duke Williams
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Deerfield Management and BioSymetrics partner to discover and develop novel therapeutics
Collaboration to advance cardiology and neurology targets using phenomics and genomic data to improve human health
NEW YORK, NEW YORK — Oct. 31, 2022 – Deerfield Management, a healthcare investment firm, and BioSymetrics, a phenomics-driven drug discovery company, today announced a five-year joint venture to accelerate the advancement of new therapeutics, with an initial focus on cardiovascular and neurological diseases. The collaboration will identify new drug discovery programs that combine BioSymetrics’ AI-powered target discovery and validation platform with Deerfield’s drug discovery and commercial modeling capabilities.
“BioSymetrics’ platform creates proprietary and highly valuable insights into biology that can help identify novel therapeutics,” said James Flynn, Managing Partner, Deerfield Management and Cure Founder. “Our collaboration focuses on complex conditions in cardiovascular and neurological disease where BioSymetrics’ data and analytical capabilities can be particularly important. We are excited about the breakthroughs possible through this partnership.”
BioSymetrics takes a phenomics-driven approach to advancing drug discovery. The company’s target discovery platform uses machine learning to connect clinical and experimental data – including patient data from millions of electronic medical records, genomics, and experimental data captured in zebrafish models using proprietary computer vision – to identify high-confidence targets for drug discovery. Targets discovered using BioSymetrics’ platform are grounded in human genetic evidence, giving them twice the likelihood of clinical success as demonstrated in the seminal paper by Matt Nelson, VP Genetics & Genomics at Deerfield Management. BioSymetrics is advancing programs in cardiometabolic, neurological, and rare diseases, including familial dilated cardiomyopathy, atherosclerosis, and epilepsy.
“Deerfield shares our philosophy of using human genetic evidence and rapid in vivo validation in target discovery,” said Anthony Iacovone, Co-founder and CEO. “For a prolific target discovery platform like ours, Deerfield’s strengths in drug discovery and healthcare expertise ensure that together we can aim to focus on the programs with the highest probability of success and drive forward the best science. We are enthusiastic to begin this effort and work together with Deerfield in translating complex clinical and experimental biology into actionable therapeutic development programs.”
Under the terms of the agreement, Deerfield and BioSymetrics will identify therapeutic targets using BioSymetrics’ platform and database. Deerfield will provide target product profiles and due diligence support, commercial modeling services, and drug development plans and infrastructure for projects that the parties decide to advance.
About Deerfield Management
Deerfield Management is an investment management firm committed to advancing healthcare through investment, information and philanthropy. The Firm works across the healthcare ecosystem to connect people, capital, ideas and technology in bold, collaborative and inclusive ways. For more information, please visit www.deerfield.com.
About BioSymetrics
BioSymetrics is a phenomics-driven drug discovery company with a vision to translate data into discoveries. BioSymetrics integrates clinical and experimental data, using machine learning, to translate human disease biology and advance precision medicines. For more information, please visit www.biosymetrics.com or follow us on LinkedIn.
Media:
Caroline Drucker
+1 212.583.8296
Denise Johnston
Brookline Avenue Innovations
In September 2022, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) and Deerfield Management announced a research collaboration aimed at accelerating the discovery of novel therapeutics. Through a newly formed company called Brookline Avenue Innovations, LLC, Deerfield has committed up to $130 million, along with additional scientific and operational support, to advance BIDMC research that has the potential to transform patient care over the next decade.
BIDMC and Deerfield Management announce research collaboration to accelerate the creation and development of therapeutics
Deerfield Management commits up to $130 million to translate BIDMC research programs from the bench to the bedside
BOSTON and New York, N.Y. (Sept. 8, 2022) – Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) and Deerfield Management, a healthcare investment firm, announce a research collaboration to accelerate discovery of novel therapeutics. Deerfield will provide up to $130 million along with additional scientific and operational support to this collaboration to advance BIDMC research that has the potential to transform patient care over the next decade.
“We are honored to collaborate with Deerfield Management to help provide our investigators with the infrastructure and support necessary to create transformative medicines,” said Gyongyi Szabo, MD, PhD, chief academic officer of BIDMC and Beth Israel Lahey Health. “Research is an essential component of clinical care. Aligning with Deerfield will bolster the outstanding work by BIDMC investigators, translating the discoveries from bench to bedside at a more rapid pace. The collaboration will provide a seamless mechanism to advance discoveries fueled by the recently launched BIDMC Translational Research Hubs.”
BIDMC researchers will be able to submit proposals for funding to Deerfield’s scientific review team. Accepted proposals will work with Brookline Avenue Innovations, LLC, a newly formed private company wholly owned by affiliates of Deerfield Management, to specifically manage and support BIDMC projects. Selected projects will also have the eligibility for additional capital investments to create spin-off companies.
“As a national hospital leader with a notable focus on advancing health care services through scientific research, BIDMC is an ideal partner for our team at Deerfield Management,” said James Flynn, managing partner of Deerfield Management. “In collaboration with some of the brightest minds in the field, we are eager to do our part to connect people, capital, ideas, and technology in ways that will improve standard of care.”
A key partner in the collaboration is BIDMC’s Translational Research Hubs, which are multidisciplinary research and clinical teams focusing on therapeutic areas and technology platforms that align with the needs of BIDMC’s patient population. The hubs aim to maximize collaboration among physicians, scientists, students and trainees to give members the opportunity to learn from one another and in turn launch novel scientific and medical discoveries.
“BIDMC’s world renowned scientists are transforming medical care and training the next generation of leaders in the medical sciences,” said Pete Healy, president of BIDMC. “This collaboration with Deerfield aims to provide a strong foundation for continuing this innovative work at an accelerated pace and enhancing our ability to provide extraordinary patient care.”
About Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center is a patient care, teaching and research affiliate of Harvard Medical School and consistently ranks as a national leader among independent hospitals in National Institutes of Health funding. BIDMC is the official hospital of the Boston Red Sox.
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center is a part of Beth Israel Lahey Health, a health care system that brings together academic medical centers and teaching hospitals, community and specialty hospitals, more than 4,800 physicians and 36,000 employees in a shared mission to expand access to great care and advance the science and practice of medicine through groundbreaking research and education.
About Deerfield Management
Deerfield is an investment management firm committed to advancing healthcare through investment, information and philanthropy. The Firm works across the healthcare ecosystem to connect people, capital, ideas and technology in bold, collaborative and inclusive ways. For more information, please visit www.deerfield.com.
MEDIA CONTACT:
Teresa Herbert (BIDMC), [email protected]
Caroline Drucker (Deerfield), [email protected]
Written by Chloe Meck
Deerfield and Stanford University Create the Porter Alliance for Innovative Medicines
Deerfield Management Commits up to $130 Million to Support Stanford’s Innovative Translational Research
San Francisco and New York – January 18, 2022 – Stanford University and Deerfield Management, a healthcare investment firm, have collaborated to create Porter Alliance for Innovative Medicines to accelerate translational research into clinical therapeutics. Deerfield has committed up to $130 million and additional scientific and operational support to this new collaboration to advance research coming out of Stanford faculty laboratories with a focus on drug prototypes emerging from Stanford’s Innovative Medicines Accelerator.
“The Porter Alliance for Innovative Medicines aims to close a historic gap between scientific research and clinical care,” said Lloyd Minor, MD, Dean of the Stanford University School of Medicine. “This collaboration with Deerfield Management will ensure that Stanford’s breakthroughs in biomedical research translate rapidly to treatments and cures for patients.”
The newly launched Porter Alliance for Innovative Medicines is a private company wholly owned by affiliates of Deerfield Management. Its objective is to fund projects that have uncovered novel therapeutics that have the potential to cure life-altering diseases. This collaboration will rely on the robust and diverse drug pipeline already established by Stanford’s Innovative Medicines Accelerator (IMA).
“We are proud to collaborate with Stanford University to help build the bridge that connects basic research to patient cures,” stated James Flynn, Managing Partner of Deerfield Management. “It requires tremendous infrastructure and support to change the probability of success and speed to market for discovery. Through Porter Alliance, Stanford investigators will receive the necessary resources, expertise and management to advance their outstanding science.”
The collaboration will be governed by a joint steering committee comprising equal representation from Deerfield and Stanford University. Stanford researchers will be encouraged to submit proposals for consideration for execution through the collaboration. Accepted proposals will receive a development plan aimed at achieving Investigational New Drug (IND) readiness. Selected proposals will also have the eligibility for additional capital investments to create spin-off companies.
The Porter Alliance connects Stanford to the broader biopharmaceutical industry and helps researchers understand the problems they need to solve to make transformative medicines. A key partner in the collaboration is the Innovative Medicines Accelerator (IMA), established as part of Stanford’s vision to be a more purposeful university by turning breakthrough discoveries into solutions for the world’s most pressing problems.
“The Innovative Medicines Accelerator is helping Stanford faculty transform their discoveries into prototype medicines, and we must do whatever we can to ensure those medicines get to the patients who need them,” said Chaitan Khosla, PhD, Director, Innovative Medicines Accelerator and professor of chemistry and of chemical engineering at Stanford University. “I am excited and grateful that the Porter Alliance for Innovative Medicines will serve as a bridge between our promising prototypes and approved therapeutics.”
ABOUT STANFORD UNIVERSITY
Stanford University is a place of discovery, creativity, innovation and world-class medical care. Dedicated to its founding mission of benefitting society through research and education, Stanford strives to create a sustainable future for all, catalyze discoveries about ourselves and our world, accelerate the societal impact of its research, and educate students as global citizens. The university is located in the San Francisco Bay Area on the ancestral land of the Muwekma Ohlone Tribe and first welcomed students in 1891. Its main campus holds seven schools along with interdisciplinary research and policy institutes, athletics, and the arts. More than 7,000 undergraduate and 9,000 graduate students pursue studies at Stanford each year. Learn more at Stanford.edu.
ABOUT DEERFIELD MANAGEMENT
Deerfield is an investment management firm committed to advancing healthcare through investment, information and philanthropy. The Firm works across the healthcare ecosystem to connect people, capital, ideas and technology in bold, collaborative and inclusive ways. For more information, please visit www.deerfield.com.
MEDIA CONTACTS
Julie Greicius
Caroline Drucker
212-582-8296
Deerfield Management and Baylor College of Medicine Announce Blue Square Discoveries to Advance Novel Therapeutic Treatments
Deerfield will fund up to $130 million and provide development expertise to accelerate Baylor’s cutting-edge discovery research
New York, NY (May 15, 2021) — Deerfield Management Company (Deerfield), a healthcare investment management firm focused on advancing healthcare through investment, information and philanthropy, and Baylor College of Medicine (Baylor) today announced a major research collaboration to advance promising therapeutics and support pharmaceutical research and discovery. The Blue Square Discoveries program will expand the resources and expertise available to Baylor to further advance discoveries beyond the laboratory.
Deerfield pledged up to $130 million over 10 years to the Blue Square Discoveries program with the goals of accelerating Baylor’s biomedical discoveries and bringing life-saving therapeutics to market.
“Baylor College of Medicine’s prowess in foundational research has significantly advanced our understanding of disease. These discoveries can lead to life-saving therapies to transform the lives of patients,” said James E. Flynn, Managing Partner at Deerfield. “We are committed to advancing healthcare and this partnership will better equip us in our mission. We are proud to have Baylor College of Medicine join us in this initiative.”
Deerfield will provide funding and operational support to advance mutually agreed upon research initiatives to the market. Using its managerial, operational and drug development expertise, Deerfield will help Baylor expedite treatments for patients across a broad span of therapeutic areas, addressing critical shortcomings and unmet medical needs.
“This new research collaboration will provide us the opportunity to bring our new discoveries in genetics and therapeutics to the bedside in a more efficient and effective way,” said Paul Klotman, M.D., President, CEO and Executive Dean of Baylor College of Medicine.
“The Deerfield relationship represents a new way for Baylor to engage with industry, while also aligning to the strategic mission of Baylor College of Medicine Ventures,” said Shawn Davis, VP and Chief Ventures Officer for BCM Ventures. “Developing a long-term relationship with a collaborator who can drive targets from discovery to commercialization is a great opportunity for our faculty’s success in the drug discovery field.”
“This collaboration will allow us to combine Baylor’s strength in identifying disease-causing protein targets with an innovative chemistry platform,” said Damian Young, Ph.D., Associate Director of the Center for Drug Discovery and Assistant Professor of Pharmacology & Chemical Biology and Pathology & Immunology at Baylor. Young will also serve as the Scientific Business Development Manager for the collaboration.
With the launch of the agreement, researchers at Baylor will have the opportunity to submit proposals for review to a committee comprised of scientific leadership from both Baylor and Deerfield. Each accepted project will receive the resources and expertise required to bring it through the discovery research phase and to clinical testing. Additional resources are available to provide funding and operational support thereafter.
Projects that proceeded successfully may receive additional funding from Deerfield. Under the agreement, in exchange for funding, Blue Square Discoveries would receive an option to license intellectual property developed at Baylor.
Deerfield recently opened Cure, a 12-story innovations campus in New York City which includes laboratories, lecture, and office space, as well as technology and other amenities for physician-scientists and entrepreneurs across the life science industry. Cure will expand the expertise and support Deerfield can provide its translational research partners to further enhance collaboration.
About Baylor College of Medicine
Baylor College of Medicine in Houston is recognized as a health sciences university and is known for excellence in education, research and patient care. It is the only private medical school in the greater southwest and is ranked 22nd among medical schools for research and 17th for primary care by U.S. News & World Report. Baylor is listed 20th among all U.S. medical schools for National Institutes of Health funding and No. 1 in Texas. Located in the Texas Medical Center, Baylor has affiliations with seven teaching hospitals and jointly owns and operates Baylor St. Luke’s Medical Center, part of CHI St. Luke’s Health. Currently, Baylor has more than 3,000 trainees in medical, graduate, nurse anesthesia, physician assistant, orthotics and genetic counseling as well as residents and postdoctoral fellows. Follow Baylor College of Medicine on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/BaylorCollegeOfMedicine) and Twitter (http://twitter.com/BCMHouston).
About BCM Ventures
Baylor College of Medicine Ventures is the commercial engine of the health sciences university, created to support the translation of academic knowledge and intellectual assets for the benefit of society. We do this by engaging university innovators, entrepreneurs and industry to fully develop ideas along their best commercial path. We foster a culture of commercialization and engage with industry to identify market opportunities for collaborative ventures. To learn more about partnering with BCM Ventures and accessing our available technologies, contact [email protected].
About Deerfield
Deerfield is an investment management firm committed to advancing healthcare through investment, information and philanthropy. For more information, please visit www.deerfield.com.
Contact
BerlinRosen
[email protected]
Empire Discovery Institute (EDI) and Deerfield Management Launch Empire-Deerfield Discovery & Development (ED3) LLC
Deerfield commits up to $65 million over five years to fund translational research in collaboration with the Empire Discovery Institute (EDI).
ALBANY, N.Y. & NEW YORK–(April 26, 2021 08:00 AM EDT)–Deerfield Management Company, a healthcare investment firm focused on advancing healthcare through investment, information and philanthropy, and the Empire Discovery Institute (EDI) have formed a translational research partnership to accelerate the development of novel therapeutics. Through the partnership Deerfield expects to invest up to $65 million over the next five years to translate scientific discoveries with potential applications for patients.
The EDI is a non-profit New York drug discovery and development accelerator created to translate important academic discoveries into new medicines for commercialization by providing strategic support and pharmaceutical development expertise. The EDI works in partnership with research labs at the University of Rochester, the University at Buffalo, and Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center.
Through a newly launched company called Empire Deerfield Discovery & Development LLC (ED3), funding and support will be available for projects in high-need therapeutic areas, as well as those targeting patients who suffer from hard-to-treat and rare diseases, to accelerate them towards clinical validation in patients and commercialization.
“EDI was founded to help overcome the key challenges often faced by life science researchers in academia, namely a lack of external funding to advance pre-clinical development and access to pharmaceutical industry expertise to advance programs in an efficient manner to the clinic. Our partnership with Deerfield will enable us to accelerate our mission to identify medically important targets for human disease to facilitate the creation and development of novel, highly differentiated new therapeutics,” said Martin Graham PhD, CEO of the Empire Discovery Institute.
“We are deeply grateful to the leadership of New York State for their ongoing support for the Empire Discovery Institute. The new investment by Deerfield will strengthen this unique partnership between research institutions in Rochester and Buffalo, help accelerate the process of bringing new drugs to market, and position Western New York and the Finger Lakes as a hub for life sciences research,” said Mark Taubman, CEO of the University of Rochester Medical Center.
“We are pleased to partner with New York State and the EDI to support the exciting discoveries coming out University of Rochester, the University at Buffalo and Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center. These institutions represent a major innovation hub and focusing on translating their science may change the course of disease for many,” stated James Flynn, Deerfield managing partner. “We look forward to supporting the world class science, investigators and leadership as they aim to create new cures for patients.”
“We look forward to the opportunity for this strategic partnership between EDI and Deerfield to support the development and commercialization of novel research initiatives across the partner institutions,” said Candace Johnson CEO Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center.
Dr. Satish K. Tripathi, president, University at Buffalo and chair, Empire Discovery Institute, said, “The Deerfield partnership significantly enhances EDI’s ability to advance novel therapeutics discovered at UB and our founding partners’ institutions. Building upon the $35 million grant from New York State to EDI, the Deerfield partnership gives our faculty researchers access to additional funding and expertise to help them move their innovations from an idea to the market, bringing new life saving drugs to improve the health and well-being of individuals, communities, and society.”
“Governor Cuomo and Empire State Development are dedicated to ensuring New York State is at the forefront of life science research and commercialization,” said Empire State Development Acting Commissioner, and President and CEO-designate Eric Gertler. “The Administration’s investment in the sector, including its support of EDI, helps promote and facilitate dynamic public private partnerships, like ED3, which further enhances New York’s leadership in the life science field.”
Following the launch of this new program, researchers at EDI’s partner institutions will be able to submit R&D proposals for consideration via Martin Graham, Chief Executive Office of Empire Discovery Institute. Recommended proposals will be reviewed by an ED3 joint steering committee, whose membership comprises equal leadership representing EDI and Deerfield. Through ED3, Deerfield will provide funding, development expertise and operational support for accepted proposals.
About EDI
EDI is an integrated drug discovery and development accelerator located in Western New York. Organized as a 501(c)(3) corporation, EDI was established with an initial grant of $35.4M over five years from Empire State Development (ESD) as part of Governor Andrew Cuomo’s $620M NYS Life Science Initiative. EDI together with its Scientific Advisory Board, identifies and in-licenses promising discoveries from its partner institutes at the University at Buffalo, the University of Rochester, and Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center. Through the formation of strategic partnerships with investors and pharmaceutical industry partners, pharmaceutical industry knowledge and expertise is applied to advance candidate drugs through pre-clinical development to patients. These activities are intended to realize the full clinical and commercial potential of important discoveries originating from EDI’s partner institutions, thereby contributing to the growth and economic development of New York’s biotechnology and pharmaceutical industry.
About Deerfield
Deerfield is an investment management firm committed to advancing healthcare through investment, information and philanthropy. For more information, please visit www.deerfield.com.
Contacts
Martin Graham, Empire Discovery Institute (EDI), [email protected], 484-880-6145
Karen Heidelberger, Deerfield, [email protected], 212‐583‐7298
Deerfield Management, UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy Announce First Educational Collaboration
Deerfield and the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy will join forces to develop a training partnership to support the translation of scientific discovery to commercialization. The partnership will kick off with a seminar on April 16, 2021.
(NEW YORK CITY, NY, March 31, 2021) ––Deerfield Management Company (Deerfield), a healthcare investment management firm focused on advancing healthcare through investment, information and philanthropy, and the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy are thrilled to announce a first-of-its-kind educational-based collaboration that features a new certificate program and kick-off seminar. The certificate, micro-credential program, “Molecules to Market,” will be taught in tandem by academic and industry experts. The certificate program is specifically designed to support the translation of basic research and discovery along the path to commercialization.
The program’s introductory seminar, entitled “Molecules to Market – Overcoming the Valley of Death,” will be held via Zoom on Friday, April 16, 2021 from 9:00 am ET to 11:00 am ET. Registration is free and open to the public with the specific goal of discussing the key elements of any translational program.
“This type of educational-based collaboration is a new development for Deerfield as we continue to innovate and find new ways to advance healthcare,” said James E. Flynn, managing partner at Deerfield. “With this seminar and future certificate, we aim to leverage key learnings and analysis from previous case studies to highlight the steps required to translate a basic discovery to a medicine that will improve patients’ lives. To reach commercialization, the business plan is as important as the science itself, and we hope to educate those in the healthcare community and begin to address that gap.”
The seminar is designed for anyone with an understanding of basic science and a desire to understand both the industry and academic side of translating a discovery for patient benefit. The program aims to create a solution for entrepreneurs, leaders and scientists by creating a deep roster of professionals that understand how to move research through the long process to commercialization.
“Pharmaceutical and biomedical PhD scientists are increasingly involved in all aspects of drug development, but PhD training is almost exclusively focused on technical skills associated with bench science. Our collaboration with Deerfield will fill a much-needed gap by training on specific competencies required to advance discoveries to the market,” said Angela Kashuba, dean of the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy.
The UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy is a world-renowned academic institution and is ranked the No. 1 school of pharmacy in the country by U.S. News & World Report in 2020. Together with Deerfield, the seminar will convene industry and academic leaders to share key insights through analysis of case studies and to discuss in detail what is necessary to move scientific discovery to commercialization.
Panelists include:
- John Bamforth, PhD, Director Eshelman Institute for Innovation – Dr. Bamforth previously served as the vice president and chief marketing officer for a broad portfolio of therapeutics at Eli Lilly and Company. He now oversees The Eshelman Institute for Innovation, which aims to accelerate the creation and development of ideas leading to discoveries of new medicines and technologies.
- James Flynn, Managing Partner, Deerfield Management – Jim has over 30 years in the healthcare investment industry and is responsible for the management of the Firm, building deep healthcare information expertise through the Deerfield Institute, expanding its investment capabilities to include venture and private structured financings; establishing the Deerfield Foundation to contribute toward the health and welfare of disadvantaged children; creating Deerfield Discovery and Development, LLC, which conducts Deerfield’s translational discovery research efforts; and founding a healthcare innovation center, Cure, at 345 Park Avenue South in New York City.
- Michael Foley, PhD, Chief Executive Officer, Deerfield Discovery and Development, and Vice President of Translational Drug Development – Dr. Foley joined Deerfield in 2018 to focus on academic collaborations. Previously, he was the CEO of Tri-Institutional Therapeutics Discovery Institute (Tri-I TDI) where he led the efforts to discover drug candidates in an academic setting.
- Stephen Frye, PhD, Fred Eshelman Distinguished Professor, Center for Integrative Chemical Biology and Drug Discovery Co-Program Leader, Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy – Dr. Frye is a Fred Eshelman Distinguished Professor, Director of the Center for Integrative Chemical Biology and Drug Discovery, and Co-leader of the Molecular Therapeutics Program, Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill.
- Cam Wheeler, Ph.D, Partner, Deerfield Management -Cameron Wheeler, Ph.D., is a Partner on the Biotherapeutics group at Deerfield and joined the Firm in 2014. Prior to Deerfield, Dr. Wheeler worked for and on behalf of Eleven Biotherapeutics, Inc. as a director since 2009. Previous to that, Dr. Wheeler was Manager of the Business Development and Operations team at Constellation Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and a Senior Associate at Third Rock Ventures, LLC. Dr. Wheeler holds a Ph.D. and S.M. in Biological Engineering and an S.B. in Mechanical Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
The panel will be moderated by Dr. Michael Jarstfer, Assistant Dean for Graduate Education & Associate Professor at the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy. Dr. Jarstfer is the Director of the Graduate Studies for Pharmaceutical Sciences PhD Program at UNC. He will speak to the University of North Carolina’s commitment to advancing the translation of scientific discovery to commercialization.
Seminar attendees will have the opportunity to learn about the upcoming certificate program, which is expected to launch later this year, and discover a skillset that is both unique and vital within the healthcare ecosystem. The certificate plans to address the gap between academia and industry which has been known to reduce the speed and success of translational drug development.
This unique educational-based collaboration has been envisioned to further strengthen the Cure, a 12-story vertical innovations campus in New York City that Deerfield recently opened to develop leaders across the healthcare spectrum.
About Deerfield
Deerfield is an investment management firm committed to advancing healthcare through investment, information and philanthropy. For more information, please visit www.deerfield.com.
About UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy
The UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy, based in Chapel Hill, N.C., is an internationally recognized leader in pharmacy practice, education, and research. We develop leaders in pharmacy education, pharmacy practice, and pharmaceutical sciences who make a difference on human health worldwide. The School is recognized as the No.1 school of pharmacy in the U.S. by U.S. News and World Report and is ranked No. 6 in the 2021 QS World University Rankings for the Best World Universities in Pharmacy and Pharmacology. For more information, visit pharmacy.unc.edu, or follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
Contacts
BerlinRosen
[email protected]
Erin Holin, 917-232-0701