Apposite's Life Sciences Investments
Ambit Biosciences Inc.
Investment: Lead investment in Series D
Date of investment: 2007
Investment status: Current
Location: San Diego, CA, USA
Website: www.ambitbio.com
Ambit Biosciences is a biopharmaceutical company engaged in the discovery and development of small molecule kinase inhibitors for the treatment of cancer. The company also markets the industry's most comprehensive kinase profiling service through its KINOMEscan™ Division. Ambit has multiple drug candidates in pre-clinical and clinical development, including AC220, a selective class III receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitor for treatment of acute myeloid leukaemia, currently in Phase I clinical trials.
Ambrx Inc.
Investment: Lead investment in Series C
Date of investment: 2006
Investment status: Current
Location: San Diego, CA, USA
Website: www.ambrx.com
Ambrx is a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company with a broad biologics platform that allows it to create best-in-class protein therapeutics, including improved versions of native proteins and therapeutic antibodies. Its most advanced product candidate, ARX201 (partnered with Merck Serono), is a long-acting human growth hormone drug candidate that has successfully completed initial clinical trials. The company has further validated its biologics platform through substantial partnerships with Eli Lilly and Company and Merck & Co.
Anaphore Inc.
Investment: Series A Venture
Date of investment: 2009
Investment status: Current
Location: La Jolla, CA, USA
Website: www.anaphore.com
Anaphore is developing a novel class of protein therapeutics, Atrimers, to address significant unmet medical needs in immune-mediated diseases and oncology. Atrimers are thought to offer significant biological, manufacturing and commercial advantages over traditional drugs such as antibodies, smaller protein scaffolds, and small molecules.
Pharmakodex Limited
Investment: Founding Series A co-investment
Date of investment: 2006
Investment status: Acquired
Location: Cambridge, UK
PharmaKodex is a specialty pharmaceuticals company developing and commercialising small molecule drugs to treat pain and neurological conditions. PharmaKodex exploits its proprietary drug delivery and formulation technologies to enhance existing drugs, provide faster acting, more convenient or more effective products, as well as synergistic combinations, which are protected by strong intellectual property. The company was spun out from Vectura Group plc and Unilever plc to exploit proprietary formulation and delivery technology from both parents. Pharmakodex was acquired by Swedish pharmaceutical company, Orexo AB (NASDAQ-OMX: ORX) on 23 February 2009.
Serentis Limited
Investment: Founding Series A co-investment
Date of investment: 2006
Investment status: Current
Location: Cambridge, UK
Website: www.serentis-pharma.com
Serentis is a biopharmaceutical company which aims to develop a pipeline of innovative, proprietary products to address unmet medical needs in the dermatology field. The company’s strategy is to establish a clinical stage development pipeline by the reprofiling of existing drugs and through the licensing or acquisition of projects from external sources. This is an approach that Serentis' management team has successfully pursued in the past.