Harvard University

RALEIGH, N.C., Feb. 24, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Kineticos Life Sciences announces the launch of Kinvard Bio, Inc., a newly established anti-infectives biotech company based on groundbreaking research that has been exclusively licensed from the Myers Lab in the Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology at Harvard University and funded by the Kineticos AMR Accelerator Fund I (KAMRA I). KAMRA I is dedicated to combating antimicrobial resistance (AMR) by investing in, creating, and supporting companies that are developing disruptive solutions to address this critical public health issue. Leveraging the Kineticos Foundry model, KAMRA I will apply its proven playbook and extensive experience in launching biotech and life science companies to provide Kinvard Bio with both financial and operational support, to achieve its vision. A research team led by Professor Andy Myers in Harvard's Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology developed foundational innovations that could lead to an antibiotic capable of overcoming drug-resistant infections. Oxepanoprolinamides (OPPs) represent a distinct class of lincosamide antibiotics that are pre-organized for highly effective and differentiated binding to the bacterial ribosome. In preclinical studies, OPPs have proven effective against both gram-positive and gram-negative bacterial pathogens associated with clinical needs that remain unmet. While at the Myers Lab, the research received significant support from the Blavatnik Biomedical Accelerator and the Combating Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria Biopharmaceutical Accelerator (CARB-X). CARB-X awarded the research team $1.2 million to profile several antimicrobial leads in studies aimed at advancing them to the later stages of the drug discovery pipeline. Harvard's Office of Technology Development licensed the technology to Kinvard Bio to facilitate the progression of the research toward clinical application. Kinvard Bio is advancing its lead programs through preclinical optimization, with a focus on developing oral and IV formulations for the treatment of the most challenging acute and chronic drug-resistant infections, such as bacterial pneumonia, complicated urinary tract infections (cUTI), and nontuberculosis mycobacteria lung disease (NTM-LD). "The powerful synthetic methods we've developed at the Myers Lab have enabled us to create a series of compounds that hold great promise for treating superbugs resistant to standard treatments," stated Andy Myers, Amory Houghton Professor of Chemistry and Chemical Biology at Harvard. "Licensing these compounds and the synthetic platform for further development should accelerate the production of essential antibiotics to address the pressing global health issues caused by drug-resistant infections." Led by Dr. Lloyd Payne, Kinvard Bio will utilize its platform chemistry to develop and advance this new class of antibiotics to clinical stage. "I am thrilled to join Kinvard Bio and work with the team to progress a highly differentiated class of antibacterials with broad therapeutic potential towards the clinic," said Dr. Payne, CEO Kinvard Bio. "Partnering with KAMRA I represents an excellent opportunity to further develop the Myers Lab innovation and meet the critical need for new IV and oral antibiotics for the treatment of patients with challenging drug-resistant infections." With a background in medicinal chemistry and over 25 years of experience in drug discovery and development, Dr. Payne has contributed to a broad range of therapeutic programs across oncology, inflammation, and infectious diseases. Dr. Payne was previously CEO of ArrePath, where he led the team that built a novel antibiotic discovery company utilizing AI. He also serves as a Venture Partner at KAMRA I as well as an advisor to leading sector-specific anti-infective investment funds, including the AMR Action Fund and the Novo Foundation REPAIR Impact Fund. Dr. Payne is joined by co-founders of Kinvard Bio, Dr. Kelvin Wu and Dr. Ben Tresco, who both led the development of the OPP class of antibiotics while in the Myers Lab. Dr. Wu and Dr. Tresco will lead platform and product development, building the program pipeline and advancing the company's programs toward the clinic. Kinvard Bio is supported by a board of industry veterans led by Chairman Dr. Steve Gelone. Dr. Richard Snyder, Member of the KAMRA I General Partnership, commented on the launch of this new Kineticos Foundry company from KAMRA I. "The novel technology developed by Drs. Myers, Wu, and Tresco represents a transformative advancement in the fight against AMR. Under the leadership of Dr. Payne, Kinvard Bio is well-positioned to successfully advance this innovative technology into the clinic, making a meaningful impact on patients affected by these devastating infections." Research reported in this press release is supported by CARB-X. CARB-X's funding for this project is provided in part with federal funds from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS); Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response; Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority; under agreement number: 75A50122C00028, and by awards from Wellcome (WT224842), Germany's Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF), and the UK Department of Health and Social Care as part of the Global Antimicrobial Resistance Innovation Fund (GAMRIF). The content of this press release is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of CARB-X or any of its funders. About Kinvard Bio Kinvard Bio is developing a differentiated lincosamide class of antibiotics, the oxepanoprolinamides (OPPs), based on research from the Myers lab in the Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology at Harvard University. The OPP class is highly potent against multidrug-resistant gram positive and gram-negative bacteria, overcoming resistance to currently approved antibiotics. Kinvard Bio's focus is on infections representing significant global health burden and high unmet need such as complicated urinary tract infections (cUTI), community-acquired bacterial pneumonia (CABP), hospital acquired / ventilator acquired bacterial pneumonia (HABP/VABP) and nontuberculosis mycobacteria lung disease (NTM-LD). Contact: [email protected] LinkedIn:@Kinvard Bio About Kineticos Kineticos Life Sciences (Kineticos) envisions a world without antimicrobial resistance, cancer, and rare and neurodegenerative diseases. We are entrepreneurs helping entrepreneurs build companies to improve patient outcomes. Kineticos leverages our expertise, network, ecosystem, and capital to provide the most relevant insights and recommendations for our portfolio companies, building value every step of the way. Kineticos began investing in 2019 and has grown to ~$115M of Assets Under Management as of December 31, 2024. Contact: [email protected] LinkedIn:@Kineticos About Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) Antimicrobial resistance is a growing global issue impacting lives at a higher rate each year. The World Health Organization (WHO) reports that in some countries, more than 50% of infections caused by common bacteria are resistant to at least one commonly used antibiotic. The United Nations expects global deaths to rise to 10 million per year by 2050 if urgent action is not taken to combat AMR. To address the problem of AMR, there is a need for a multi-sectoral approach, and this includes investing in research and development of new antibiotics and alternative treatments. SOURCE Kinvard Bio WANT YOUR COMPANY'S NEWS FEATURED ON PRNEWSWIRE.COM? 440k+ Newsrooms & Influencers 9k+ Digital Media Outlets 270k+ Journalists Opted In GET STARTED

FRIDAY, Feb. 21, 2025 -- For patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D) and chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder ( COPD ), sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitors (SGLT-2is) and glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1 RAs) are associated with a reduced risk for moderate or severe COPD exacerbations compared with dipeptidyl peptidase 4 inhibitors (DPP-4is), according to a study published online Feb. 10 in JAMA Internal Medicine . Avik Ray, M.D., from Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School in Boston, and colleagues conducted a comparative effectiveness study to assess the risk for moderate or severe COPD exacerbations among patients aged 40 years or older with T2D and active COPD who initiated treatment with SGLT-2is versus DPP-4is; GLP-1 RAs versus DPP-4is; and SGLT-2is versus GLP-1 RAs (27,991; 32,107; and 36,218 pairs, respectively). The researchers found that the risk for moderate or severe COPD exacerbation was lower among those treated with SGLT-2is versus DPP-4is and among those treated with GLP-1 RAs versus DPP-4is (9.26 versus 11.4 per 100 person-years [hazard ratio, 0.81] and 9.89 versus 11.49 per 100 person-years [hazard ratio, 0.86], respectively), with minimal differences observed among those treated with SGLT-2is versus GLP-1 RAs. Across sensitivity and subgroup analyses, the results were consistent. "These findings suggest that SGLT-2is and GLP-1 RAs may be preferable to DPP4is when deciding among glucose-lowering medications for patients with T2D and active COPD," the authors write. "However, given the observational nature of the study, there is potential for residual or unmeasured confounding, and findings from similar clinical studies and clinical trials will help corroborate these results." Several authors disclosed ties to the pharmaceutical industry; one author disclosed being an expert witness in litigation against inhaler manufacturers.

Myris Therapeutics emerges from stealth to announce new name and strategic focus Proprietary polymer chemistry enables ultra-high drug to antibody ratios of 50 - 100 and new chemical space for precision targeted ADC payloads PITTSBURGH, Feb. 20, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Myris Therapeutics™ emerged from stealth today to announce its strategic focus. Myris, formerly known as BioHybrid Solutions, has built on its history in enzyme bioconjugate development to emerge as a new Antibody Drug Conjugate (ADC) therapeutics company focused on the discovery and development of ultra-high Drug Antibody Ratio (DAR) ADCs. The first public release of Myris' ADC capabilities will be presented at AACR in Chicago, April 25-30, 2025. Myris Therapeutics has a novel pipeline of ultra-high DAR ADC oncology medicines, developed using the company's deep expertise in polymer chemistry and cancer biologics. Myris' technology enables the development of ADCs with DAR50-300, meaning Myris can put 50-300 copies of the drug payload per antibody which is 10-100x higher than current standards. "This dramatically expands the range of possible payloads and precision therapy opportunities. Moreover, there are many clinically-validated small molecules that have previously not been amenable to use in ADCs because of their pharmacology or therapeutic index," said Laura Benjamin, PhD, CEO of Myris Therapeutics. "We are advancing promising clinical candidates by utilizing innovative, yet proven, antibodies and payloads. Our emerging preclinical data suggest that we will see the expected improvement in efficacy and tolerability that the field so desperately needs." Laura Benjamin, PhD, joined Myris' Board in 2023 and stepped in as CEO in 2024 to lead the company's shift to oncology. Prior to Myris, Laura was the CEO at OncXerna, where she raised >$100 million USD to advance clinical development of two oncology programs. Earlier positions included VP/CSO in oncology at Eli Lilly, Associate Professor in Pathology at Harvard Medical School, and Co-director of the Center for Vascular Biology at the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical School. Laura received her BA in Biology from Barnard College, Columbia University and her PhD in Molecular Biology from the University of Pennsylvania. Myris Therapeutic's predecessor company, BioHybrid Solutions, was founded to use sophisticated polymer chemistry to improve the druggability of therapeutic enzymes. The polymer technology remains central to Myris' ultra-high DAR ADC capabilities and the company's founders continue to play a leading role in Myris. Co-founder Krzysztof Matyjaszewski, PhD, from CMU is one of the leading figures in polymer chemistry world-wide and is a Director of Myris and active scientific advisor, co-founder Tonia Simakova, PhD, leads discovery research at Myris, and co-founder Alan Russell, PhD, currently VP of Large Molecule Discovery and Research Data Science at Amgen, is Chair of Myris' Scientific Advisory Board. The company's legacy programs are partnered and continue to advance rapidly towards the clinic. Pipeline success has allowed Myris to develop the technical capabilities needed to support the shift in focus to ultra-high DAR ADCs. Most notably, the lead program has been fully funded by the Department of Defense and has led to the successful nomination of a development candidate. Under Laura Benjamin's leadership, the team has been expanded to support the successful development of the ADC pipeline. Key advisors include biotech veteran Patrick Zweidler-McKay, MD, an experienced oncologist with over 11 years at MD Anderson, who spent 8 years developing ADCs at Immunogen before its acquisition by AbbVie, and decorated oncologist Pasi Janne, MD, currently Director for the Lowe Center for Thoracic Oncology at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Professor of Medicine at Harvard. In addition, the internal team has been strengthened by the addition of Becky Wolfe, a proven business and program leader in biopharma, as COO; Jeffrey S. Humphrey, MD, a seasoned industry oncologist, as CMO; and Bryant McLaughlin, PhD, an accomplished CMC scientist, as Head of CMC. About Myris Therapeutics Myris Therapeutics is a privately held life sciences biotech company with proprietary technology to enable ultra-high DAR ADCs by integrating traditional ADC engineering with next-generation polymer chemistry. Using their innovative platform technology, Myris is developing a pipeline of novel therapeutics for oncology. The company is headquartered in Pittsburgh, PA. For more information, please visit and follow the company on LinkedIn. Contact: Becky Wolfe, [email protected] SOURCE Myris Therapeutics, Inc. WANT YOUR COMPANY'S NEWS FEATURED ON PRNEWSWIRE.COM? 440k+ Newsrooms & Influencers 9k+ Digital Media Outlets 270k+ Journalists Opted In GET STARTED