We are a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on changing the lives of patients living with nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) and other liver and metabolic disorders. Our teams in the US and Israel are developing highly differentiated medicines that address unmet medical needs based on robust research. Our lead product candidate, BIO89-100, is a novel long-acting glycopegylated fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF21) analogue.
| INDICATION | PRODUCT CANDIDATE | PRECLINICAL | PHASE 1 | PHASE 2 | PHASE 3 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NASH | BIO89-100 | ||||
| NASH and related liver and metabolic disorders |
Undisclosed | ||||
Rohan Palekar is a seasoned C-suite executive with over 25 years of experience in the biopharmaceutical industry. Most recently, Rohan was the president and CEO of Avanir Pharmaceuticals (2015-2017) after serving as its EVP-Chief Operations Officer (2015). Rohan joined Avanir in 2012 as SVP-Chief Commercial Officer (CCO) and as part of the senior leadership team led the organization through a dynamic growth phase. Avanir was acquired by Otsuka Pharmaceuticals in 2015. Prior to Avanir, Rohan served as the CCO of Medivation (2008-2011) where he oversaw commercial, medical affairs, CMC & manufacturing, and public relations. Earlier in his career, Rohan spent 16 years at Johnson & Johnson in various senior commercial and strategic management roles, including worldwide VP of immunology and VP of sales and marketing at Centocor.
Rohan holds an MBA from the Amos Tuck School of Business Administration at Dartmouth College and a BA/BS in law and accounting from the University of Bombay.
Ram Waisbourd is COO and Chief Business Officer of 89bio. Prior to joining 89bio, Ram worked for nine years at Teva where he held a series of operational, strategy and business development positions of increasing responsibility. His most recent position was VP of strategy and transformation and a member of the executive leadership team of Teva Specialty R&D. At Teva, Ram has been involved in multiple business development transactions including the acquisition and integration of Labrys and Auspex Pharmaceuticals. Previously, Ram was VP of business development of US-based XTL Biopharmaceuticals that has developed therapeutics for Hepatitis B and C. Before that, Ram was VP of Israel-based VC fund Biomedical Investments.
Ram holds a BSc from Wharton and an MBA from Tel-Aviv University.
Dr. Michal Ayalon is head of R&D of 89bio. Dr. Ayalon has 17 years of experience in the biotech and pharmaceutical industry holding various positions in R&D management. Dr. Ayalon has extensive expertise in the development of biologics from early stages of drug discovery up to clinical development. Most recently, she was at Teva where she was the project champion of the FGF21 program leading all R&D efforts. Prior to joining TEVA she worked at Galmed as VP of R&D on NASH and the Aramchol program. Before that Dr. Ayalon worked at Immune Pharma as VP product development leading the development of a clinical asset for autoimmune diseases and inflammation.
Dr. Ayalon holds a PhD degree in life science from the Tel Aviv University and completed her post doc training in the Weizmann institute of Science.
Anat Naschitz is a managing director at OrbiMed. OrbiMed is a preeminent global healthcare investment firm with ~$15 billion under management across public and private asset classes. The firm covers the entire healthcare spectrum, investing in biopharmaceuticals, medical devices and digital health. Anat has over 20 years of healthcare experience, and currently serves on the boards of biotech and digital health companies.
Previously Anat created, invested in and advised healthcare companies across stages and substance. She was an Associate Partner with McKinsey in London, where she managed strategy and M&A projects for senior management of the world's leading pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies. Among other accomplishments, Anat led pharmaceutical spinout work resulting in the creation of European biotech companies valued at billions of dollars. Post McKinsey Anat joined Apax Partners, where she focused on life sciences investments.
Anat earned her MBA at INSEAD and her LLB at Tel Aviv University.
Derek DiRocco is a principal on the Investment Team at RA Capital Management, LLC, a multi-stage investment manager dedicated to evidence-based investing in healthcare and life sciences, including companies developing novel drugs, medical devices, and diagnostics. Derek works on both public and private investments and serves as a board director for 89Bio, Ltd. Previously, Derek covered solid tumor oncology landscapes. Derek holds a BA in Biology from Holy Cross College and a PhD in Pharmacology from the University of Washington. He conducted his postdoctoral research at Brigham and Women’s Hospital/Harvard Medical School, where he researched the role of the Wnt signaling pathway in mouse models of kidney disease and was part of a team that discovered a stem cell subtype responsible for solid organ fibrosis.
Dr. Grunberg is a managing director at Longitude Capital. Prior to joining Longitude Capital in 2012, Dr. Grunberg was at Rho Ventures and McKinsey & Company. Dr. Grunberg is a board-certified physician in Internal Medicine and completed his residency at Cornell's New York Presbyterian Hospital. He has maintained a limited clinical practice in Internal Medicine and affiliations with the University of California, San Francisco, and Kaiser Permanente.
Dr. Grunberg currently serves on the boards of Kala Pharmaceuticals (KALA), 89bio and WelbeHealth and he is a board observer at Sydnexis. Dr. Grunberg previously served on the board of California Cryobank (acquired by GI Partners) and led Longitude’s investment in Practice Fusion (acquired by Allscripts). While at Rho Ventures he served on the board of AqueSys (acquired by Allergan) and was a board observer at both SARCode Bioscience (acquired by Shire) and PHT (acquired by ERT).
Dr. Grunberg holds an MD and MBA from Duke University where he was a Fuqua Scholar and an AB in Economics and English from Amherst College.
Dr. Hayden was the president of global R&D and CSO at Teva from 2012 until the end of 2017. During this time approximately 35 new products were approved in major markets with many for diseases of the CNS such as migraine. He led the development of the first deuterated drug to be approved by the FDA and the second drug ever to be approved for Huntington disease (HD).
In 2015 Teva R&D was recognized as one of the 10 most exciting innovators in Pharma by IDEA Pharma and in 2017 Teva R&D ranked top of the industry for CNS development and clinical trial success rate by Pharma Intelligence.
Dr. Hayden was recently named one of the 50 Canadians born in the 20th century who have changed the world. Dr. Hayden is the co-founder of six biotechnology companies and currently sits on different private and public boards in the biotech industry.
Author of over 860 peer-reviewed publications and invited submissions, Dr. Hayden has focused his research primarily on translational medicine, including genetics of diabetes, lipoprotein disorders, HD, predictive and personalized medicine. Dr. Hayden and his research group have identified 10 disease-causing genes which includes the identification of the major gene underlying high-density lipoprotein (HDL) in humans. Dr. Hayden also identified the first mutations underlying Lipoprotein Lipase (LPL) Deficiency and developed gene therapy approaches to treat this condition, the first approved gene therapy in the western world. Dr. Hayden is the most cited author in the world for ABCA1 and HD.
He is also a Killam professor at the University of British Columbia and the director of the Translational Laboratory in Genetic Medicine at the National University of Singapore and Astar.
Dr. Hayden is the recipient of numerous prestigious honors and awards. He was inducted into the Canadian Medical Hall of Fame in 2017. He was named one of PharmaVoice’s “100 of the Most Inspiring People” (2015); awarded an Honorary Doctor of Science by the University of Gottingen (2014); the Luminary Award by the Personalized Medicine World Conference (2014); the Diamond Jubilee Medal (2012), on behalf of HRH Queen Elisabeth II, in recognition of his significant contributions and achievements; the Margolese National Brain Disorder Prize (2011), awarded to Canadians who have made outstanding contributions to the treatment, amelioration, or cure of brain diseases; the Killam Prize by the Canada Council of the Arts (2011), in recognition of his outstanding career achievements; and the Canada Gairdner Wightman Award (2011), recognizing him as a physician-scientist who has demonstrated outstanding leadership in medicine and medical science. Dr. Hayden has also been awarded the Order of Canada (2011), and the Order of British Columbia (2010). He was named Canada’s Health Researcher of the Year by Canadian Institutes of Health Research (NIH of Canada) in 2008, and he received the Prix Galien in 2007, which recognizes the outstanding contribution of a researcher to Canadian pharmaceutical research.
Dr. Hayden is committed to empowering others. In addition to mentoring over 100 graduate students and postdocs he is also a TED mentor.
Tomer Kariv is the co-founder and CEO of Pontifax. He serves as an active board member of many of the funds’ portfolio companies, assuming a special responsibility for strategic planning. Among other positions, Tomer serves as a board member at Eloxx Pharmaceuticals, LogicBio Therapeutics, VBI Vaccines, Cathworks, and V-Wave. During the 10 years prior to establishing Pontifax, Tomer held senior management positions at top Israeli financial institutions, playing a key role in investing in, nurturing and managing technology-driven startups.
Tomer holds a BA in Economics from Harvard University and a JD from Harvard Law School.
Stephen Squinto is a venture partner with OrbiMed. Stephen was a co-founder of Alexion Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and recently served as its executive vice president and chief global operations officer. Prior to 2013, he was Alexion’s Global Head of Research and Development. From 1988 to 1992, Stephen held various positions at Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Prior to Regeneron, he held a joint academic position at both the Tulane University and LSU Medical Schools. He is a recipient of numerous honors and awards from academic and professional organizations for his scientific work. Stephen received his undergraduate degree in chemistry and doctorate in biochemistry and biophysics from Loyola University of Chicago.