Recludix Launches to Solve Elusive Targets; Twist Spins Out Revelar

With $60 million in hand, Recludix Pharma launches with a mission to develop Three SH2 domain inhibitor programs targeting STAT3, STAT6, and an undisclosed non-STAT target for cancer and inflammatory disease targets.

Based in San Diego, Recludix was founded by a team that played a role in establishing Blueprint Medicines, including Nicholas Lyndon, who serves as chairman of the startup board of directors. Recludix is helmed by Nancy Whiting, who was recognized in 2020 for her leadership skills and business acumen after spending 15 years at Seagen, formerly known as Seattle Genetics. While at Seagen, Whiting held positions of increasing responsibility and played a key role in the development of cancer drugs Adcetris, Padceb, Tukysa and Tivdak.

Pointing at Recludix’s pipeline assets, Whiting said the STAT family “have remained elusive as targets for drug discovery” despite playing a well-characterized role in disease signaling. The startup’s most advanced programs are focused on Signal Transducer and Activator of Transcription (STAT) proteins — STAT3 and STAT6 — where abnormal activation is found in various cancer types, including multiple leukemias and lymphomas as well as inflammatory diseases, such as asthma, rheumatoid arthritis, atopic dermatitis, and inflammatory bowel disease,

“We believe Recludix’s platform will be a key differentiating factor leading to the successful development of treatments for these important targets,” Whiting said in a statement. “Our lead programs are targeting STAT3 and STAT6 through the novel mechanism of inhibition of their SH2 domains. With our proprietary technology, we believe we will be uniquely able to selectively and potently inhibit these important targets, resulting in more effective and better tolerated agents compared to the existing, less selective JAK/STAT targeting approaches.”

In addition to Whiting, Recludix’s leadership team includes Patrick Zarrinkar, a company co-founder and president and chief scientific officer. Zarrinkar is a pharma veteran who co-led the development of the KINOMEscan kinase profiling platform and a founding member of Blueprint Medicines. Daniel Treiber, a company co-founder, serves as vice president of discovery technology; and Brian Hodous, also a company co-founder, serves as vice president of chemistry at Recludix.

Recludix’s $60 million in funding was supported by NEA, Westlake Village BioPartners and Access Biotechnology.

Recludix isn’t the only new company to burst onto the scene today. Twist Bioscience spun out Revelar Biotherapeutics, an independently operated company focused on antibody discovery and development. The new company will focus on the antibody initially discovered by Twist Biopharma, a division of Twist Bioscience.

Source: BioSpace

In preclinical studies, the antibody has demonstrated success against the SARS-CoV-2 virus. In addition to that asset, Revelar will be eligible to license additional antibodies from its parent company for up to five targets over the next four years.

CEO Glenn Marina will helm Revelar. Other members of the executive team include Kevin Malobisky, who will serve as chief regulatory and quality officer; Laurence Smith, chief financial officer and general counsel; and Rodrigo Mesquita, vice president of operations and project management.

Twist Bioscience committed up to $10 million in seed funding for the new company. That financing will be based on Revelar’s progress in the development of the COVID-19 antibody and the potential licensing of additional antibody therapeutics from Twist Biopharma.