Deka Biosciences, Inc.

M&A, Venture Capital, Private Investment & IPO Funding for MoCo Companies ROCKVILLE, Md., Jan. 24, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Montgomery County, Maryland, companies had a strong year of investment in 2023, with more than $2.2 billion generated through more than 100 deals. Companies in a wide range of industries, from life sciences and technology to manufacturing and real estate, brought in substantial investments showcasing a positive economic direction going into 2024. Continue Reading Life sciences companies in Montgomery County continue to be a powerful driver of investment, with more than $500 million dollars generated in 2023. Montgomery County anchors the thriving Biohealth Capital Region, which rose from #4 to #3 in the top 10 of U.S. biopharma clusters. Montgomery County, MD, companies had a strong year of investment in 2023, with more than $2.2 billion generated. Post this Recent highlights for Montgomery County's ongoing life sciences success include: Deka Biosciences closed $60 million to continue developing drugs for patients suffering from cancer and autoimmune diseases; Welcoming Amgen to Montgomery County through a $28 billion acquisition of Horizon Therapeutics, now building its North American technical center in Rockville; The impact of two life science leaders and soon to be neighboring companies: MilliporeSigma and Horizon Therapeutics, together represent more than $500 million invested in new facilities; Selecta Biosciences merging with Cartesian Therapeutics, which included a $60.25 million private financing deal for Cartesian. "Deka Biosciences has grown exponentially as part of Montgomery County's Business Innovation Network," said Deka President & CEO John Mumm. "We wouldn't be where we are without them. They have completely enabled us to grow faster than I've ever grown a company before," he explained about the incubator facility. Nine companies in the manufacturing sector received funding in 2023, including MasPanadas, a home-grown success story. With a recent influx of investment, MasPanadas is in the process of building a space that will triple its square footage to 18,000, while adding another 70 employees. "Our company continues to thrive here with exceptional growth in annual sales and our client base including having our products in national grocery chains," said Margarita Womack, founder of MasPanadas. "Montgomery County has been a great partner providing connections to programs, tax credit assistance and funding. We are excited about our growth and expansion plans." Another highlight in the manufacturing arena is Eat the Change, which received a $14 million venture capital investment. Co-owner Seth Goldman, who is also co-founder of PLNT Burger and Honest Tea, said: "Downtown Bethesda may not be Silicon Valley or Route 128, but with its active startup community and experienced workforce, it has served us well as the perfect location to launch and scale a mission-driven tea brand…twice! Our success with Honest Tea helped us launch Just Ice Tea in 90 days, and then close our Series A $14 million financing in just 60 days. Just Ice Tea, a product of mission-based Eat the Change, is now the nation's top-selling organic tea brand and we look forward to continued expansion into mainstream channels." Technology leaders continue to thrive in Montgomery County, with close to 50 companies receiving funding. Companies include Quantum Xchange, GivHero, and Aledade. Rockville-based N5 Sensors received $2.5 million in funding for its proprietary cloud-connected ecosystem of smart sensors to keep people safe from environmental hazards. N5 Sensors' CEO Abhishek Motayed says the company has grown from seven people to over 25 in their three years in Montgomery County. "We plan to open a second facility, a high-tech semiconductor manufacturing center, to support advanced R&D and product delivery for different critical markets from defense to environmental detection." Montgomery County is a welcoming home to businesses with a diverse economy, top talent pools, access to funding and anchored by major federal agencies including the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). "By many measures, 2023 was a very good year for the Montgomery County economy and I applaud the successful efforts of the Montgomery County Economic Development Corporation," said County Executive Marc Elrich. "We are expanding our economy by building on our strengths as well as opening our doors to new opportunities. We are better equipped to address challenging issues, and we are making progress. This was reinforced during our economic development trips to Taiwan, India, and Vietnam last year. People, around this nation and throughout this world, know Montgomery County, Md., as a welcoming and diverse place with a wealth of talent and plenty of possibilities. I am looking forward to more economic success in 2024." "The robust investment in Montgomery County companies is a testament to our pioneering spirit, diversity, and exceptional climate for business growth," said Bill Tompkins, president and CEO of Montgomery County Economic Development Corporation. "While the country as a whole has experienced a downturn in funding, investments in Montgomery County businesses, especially in life sciences, continues to be strong." To learn more about doing business in Montgomery County, Maryland, go to thinkmoco.com or the Montgomery County Business Center. See the full list of 2023 investments in Montgomery County companies here. Source: PitchBook, Accessed January 23, 2024 About Montgomery County Economic Development Corporation (MCEDC) Montgomery County Economic Development Corporation (MCEDC) is the official public-private economic development organization representing Montgomery County, Maryland. Created in 2016, MCEDC is led by a Board of Directors of business executives. Its mission is to help businesses start, grow and relocate in Montgomery County by helping them gain access to top talent, business and market intelligence and prime locations. For more information, visit our website. Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn. Contact: Michael Mitchell MCEDC, Vice President, Marketing & Communications 240-641-6725 [email protected] SOURCE Montgomery County Economic Development Corporation

None  Welcome to this week's Chutes & Ladders, our roundup of hirings, firings and retirings throughout the industry. Please send the good word—or the bad—from your shop to Max Bayer or Gabrielle Masson, and we will feature it here at the end of each week.   Scorpion’s CEO, CMO out the door Scorpion Therapeutics It’s a new year and change is afoot at Scorpion Therapeutics, with both former CEO Axel Hoos, M.D., Ph.D., and CMO Michael Streit, M.D., hitting the exits.  Industry veteran Hoos has led the oncology company since July 2021, when he left GSK for Scorpion. At the time, Hoos had taken the reins from interim CEO Adam Friedman, M.D., Ph.D., who will now take back the top title, this time without the temporary designation. Friedman is part of Scorpion’s founding team and most recently served as the biotech’s president of corporate strategy and business development.    The Boston biotech is also replacing Streit, who was the first to fill the company’s chief medical officer position. Streit joined in 2022 from Sanofi, where he had most recently served as vice president and senior project head.  Now, Mark Chao, M.D., Ph.D., will take over as CMO. He joins Scorpion from TenSixteen Bio, where he served as co-founder and CEO.  But the changes don’t stop there. Scorpion has also promoted Erica Jackson, Ph.D., to chief discovery officer. She previously served as the company’s executive vice president of biology. Fierce Biotech  CRISPR hunts for new CMO  CRISPR Therapeutics CRISPR Therapeutics Chief Medical Officer Phuong Khanh Morrow, M.D., is resigning—a decision that was announced six days after the company secured FDA approval for its Vertex-partnered gene therapy Casgevy. The biotech has already kicked off the search for a new CMO, a spokesperson told Fierce Biotech. “CRISPR Therapeutics has a seasoned leadership team with extensive experience managing clinical development for CRISPR’s programs and is well positioned to successfully manage the transition,” a spokesperson said via email. Morrow, who has been with the company since May 2022, will officially depart Jan. 26. Her resignation was not the result of any disagreement with the gene-editing company, according to CRISPR Tx. Before joining the Swiss-American biotech, Morrow spent more than 10 years in various leadership roles at Amgen. Fierce Biotech  Long-time Evotec CEO steps down Evotec Evotec’s CEO Werner Lanthaler has resigned from his role before his expected end of term, which was set for March 2026, citing personal reasons.  Lanthaler, who has led the German biotech since 2009, will serve as a strategic advisor to Evotec’s board, which has launched a search for a permanent CEO.  Until a successor is chosen, board member Mario Polywka will take on the role of interim CEO. Ploywka had served as Evotec’s chief operating officer from 2006 to 2018. Release  > LianBio CEO Yizhe Wang, Ph.D., is headed for the exits in pursuit of new opportunities. Chief Investment Officer Adam Stone will be the interim chief while the search for a permanent replacement begins. Release > Ex-Biogen CEO Michel Vounatsos has joined the board of Quris-AI. Former Merck regional president Yossi Ben Amram was also named president of the company. Release > Vicore Pharma has hired Bertil Lindmark, Ph.D., M.D., to serve as chief medical officer, taking the reins from Rohit Batta. Lindmark joins from Galecto, where he also held the CMO role, and has previous experience as AstraZeneca’s global vice president of clinical development for respiratory and inflammation. Release > Applied Therapeutics has named Constantine Chinoporos as its new chief operating officer and chief business officer. He’s been a strategic advisor for Apollo Therapeutics since February 2023 after past c-suite roles at other biotechs. Disclosure > Innate Pharma CEO Mondher Mahjoubi has resigned to pursue a new gig at a larger pharmaceutical company, the European biotech announced. Chairman and co-founder Hervé Brailly will be the interim leader while the search for a replacement gets underway. Release > SpliceBio will bring on Aniz Girach, M.D., as chief medical officer. Girach was previously CMO of fellow gene editing biotech ProQR until March 2023. Release > New year, new gig for Nathan Dowden, who’s been promoted at Entrada from chief operating officer to president and COO. He’s been with the company since 2019 after working at Rubius. Release > Relmada CMO Cedric O’Gorman, M.D., is leaving the company after one year. He previously was the chief medical officer at Alpha Cognition. Release > After Zevra’s recent acquisition of Acer, Adrian Quartel, M.D., will become the new chief medical officer. He was the CMO of Acer and was the chief medical officer of Adamis before that. Release > ARIAD Pharmaceuticals founder Harvey Berger, M.D., has been hired as the new CEO of Kojin Therapeutics. Kojin is backed by the likes of Leaps By Bayer and AbbVie’s venture arm. Release > Included in Radionetics Oncology’s latest financing announcement was news that the biotech has brought on Paul Grayson as CEO. He was most recently president and CEO of fellow oncology company Tentarix Biotherapeutics. Release  > Mineralys Therapeutics has tapped Minji Kim, Ph.D., to serve as chief business officer. Before Mineralys, she held the same role at Affamed Therapeutics and has past experience at Jounce Therapeutics, Curis and Hoffmann-La Roche. Release > ProMIS Neurosciences is bringing on Neil Warma as interim CEO to replace Gail Farfel, Ph.D. Warma has been a director on the company’s board since 2022. Release > Brii is bringing aboard former HemoShear CSO Brian Alvin Johns, Ph.D., for the same role. Before HemoShear, he was VP of discovery at Viiv and GSK. Release > Heike Keilhack, Ph.D., is joining ROME Therapeutics as chief scientific officer. She previously was CSO and oversaw R&D of two now-clinical-stage PARP inhibitors at Ribon Therapeutics. Release > Diagnostics vet Brian Kim is the new CEO of genomics company Mission Bio, the company announced. He previously was CEO of Fortis Life Science and held other leadership roles at Biosearch Technologies and PerkinElmer. Release > SV Health Investors has appointed Nikola Trbovic as managing partner and Jamil Beg as partner. The two will help steer the firm’s biotech portfolio, which includes companies like Bicycle and Nimbus. Release > CymaBay Therapeutics and former Chief Commercial Officer Lewis Stuart mutually agreed that Stuart would leave the company on Dec. 29. CymaBay’s VP Liver Franchise Lead Ben Kozub will assume leadership of commercial organization. Release > Alaunos Therapeutics has tapped Dale Curtis Hogue, Jr., to serve as director of the immuno-oncology company. Hogue most recently founded Dune Lake Capital and previously worked as a senior analyst at Discovery Capital Management. Release > Viatris has chosen Philippe Martin to lead the company’s research and development as chief R&D officer. Martin has clocked in past experience at Celgene and Schering-Plough (acquired by Merck). Release > Noriyuki Kasahara, M.D., Ph.D., is moving from 4DMT’s board to its C-suite, being named chief scientific officer. Kasahara is a brain surgeon who previously worked at UCSF. Release > Scribe Therapeutics’ next chief scientific officer and head of research and development will be Aarif Khakoo, M.D., who joins the CRISPR genetic medicines company from Calico Life Sciences. Also joining the biotech is Maria Mirotsou, Ph.D., as vice president of discovery biology. Release > Eterna Therapeutics has picked Sanjeev Luther as its next CEO, as of Jan. 1. He succeeds Matt Angel, Ph.D. Luther has spent the past 30 years at various roles across biopharma, most recently as CEO at Cornerstone Pharmaceuticals. Release > Henrik Luessen is the new chief business officer for German biotech Eleva, which has a moss-based platform that develops complex proteins for treatment of diseases. Release > Ashvattha Therapeutics has named Mehdi Paborji, Ph.D., as senior vice president of technical operations to oversee CMC and manufacturing for the biotech’s nanomedicines. Release  > Deka Biosciences has tapped Stanley Frankel, M.D., to serve as senior clinical advisor, interim chief medical officer and scientific advisory board member. The hematologist-oncologist joins Deka with past experience as SVP, global drug development for cell therapy for BMS following the 2019 acquisition of Celgene. Release > HERVOLUTION Therapeutics has chosen J. Robert Coleman, Ph.D., to lead the biotech as CEO. Before joining HERVOLUTION, Coleman co-founded Codagenix and served as the company’s CEO for 12 years. Release > ImPact Biotech has appointed clinical radiologist Eyal Morag, M.D., to be the company’s chief medical officer. Morag joins from Microbot Medical, where he was also CMO, and currently serves in scientific and medical advisory roles at Aidoc Medical, Vortex Imaging and HighRad. Release

- Stanley Frankel, M.D., FACP Appointed as Interim Chief Medical Officer and Scientific Advisory Board Member -- Stuart Chaffee, Ph.D. Appointed as an Independent Director to the Board - GERMANTOWN, Md., Dec. 19, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Deka Biosciences ("Deka") today announced the appointments of Stanley Frankel, M.D., FACP, as senior clinical advisor, interim chief medical officer and scientific advisory board member, and Stuart Chaffee, Ph.D. as an independent director and chairman of the Board. Deka is a privately held biotech company developing next-generation cytokine therapies to treat cancer and inflammatory diseases based on a patient's individual immune response. Deka's lead asset, DK210 (EGFR), is currently being evaluated for the treatment of multiple solid tumors in a Phase 1 clinical trial. Continue Reading "Deka's Diakine™ platform combining multiple cytokines in a single drug is a promising approach." Post this Stuart Chaffee Stanley Frankel "With today's leadership and corporate governance appointments, our team is well positioned to capitalize on the power of our platform's ability to modulate multiple cytokine signaling pathways in a single therapeutic agent and in a patient-selective manner," said John Mumm, president and chief executive officer. "Dr. Frankel is a highly regarded drug developer who has led the research and commercialization of several important immunotherapies that are foundational to the field. We are also delighted to welcome Dr. Chaffee, an accomplished financial and operational leader, who will be instrumental in helping to guide our business and financial decision-making as we progress our novel therapeutics into the clinic." Dr. Frankel joins Deka as a hematologist-oncologist with over 20 years of industry experience, including the research, clinical development, and commercialization of immuno-oncology and cellular therapies. He was previously senior vice president, global drug development for cell therapy at BMS following the acquisition of Celgene to oversee the filing and development of Breyanzi® (lisocabtagene maraleucel) and Abecma® (idecabtagene vicleucel). Prior to BMS' acquisition of Celgene, he was corporate vice president and the head of Immuno-Oncology & Cellular Therapy and Clinical Research and Development at Celgene, where he oversaw the clinical development collaborations for the Medimmune/AstraZeneca alliance for durvalumab, Celgene's alliances with BeiGene for tislelizumab, and with Juno Therapeutics for development of cell-based therapies. Previously, he oversaw T-cell engager bispecific antibody development as vice president of clinical development at Micromet, including the development of Blincyto® (blinatumomab). He also served as Chief Medical Officer of Cytovia Therapeutics. He is a non-executive director at Precision Biosciences and a member of the board of directors at Myeloid Therapeutics. He serves on the scientific advisory board at Sutro Biopharma, Immunai, and Adagene. Dr. Frankel is also an adjunct associate professor of medicine at the Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons at Columbia University, New York. Dr. Frankel is a graduate of Harvard College and Northwestern University Medical School. "Widespread clinical use of cytokines has been hindered by persisting challenges with short blood half-lives, safe immune activation, and severe side effects caused by low specificity and unfavorable biodistribution," said Dr. Frankel. "Deka's Diakine™ platform combining multiple cytokines in a single drug is a promising approach to improve the therapeutic index and clinical value of this medication class. I'm inspired by the underlying science of the platform and look forward to advancing these potentially game-changing medicines for cancer and inflammatory diseases alongside the leadership team." Dr. Chaffee brings over 20 years of R&D, business, and corporate development experience to Deka. Most recently, he served as the chief business officer and chief financial officer of Praxis Precision Medicines. Dr. Chaffee's business-building background in drug discovery and development includes his role as entrepreneur in residence at Atlas Venture, where he was co-founder and head of business operations at Kymera Therapeutics. Earlier in his career, Dr. Chaffee served in several roles at Biogen across finance, business development, program leadership, and corporate strategy. Dr. Chaffee received a BS in chemistry from The College of William and Mary, a Ph.D. in organic chemistry from Yale University, and an MBA in finance from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. "I've always been a firm believer in the power of cytokine biology; however, the field has been challenged by an inability to tailor the right cytokine modulation to the right patient. Deka's uniquely elegant approach has the potential to solve this problem," said Dr. Chaffee. About Deka Biosciences Deka Biosciences is a biotech company led by serial entrepreneur Dr. John Mumm alongside a team of experienced academic, biopharma and contract development and manufacturing organizations (CDMO) innovators with expertise in drug discovery, product development, characterization, and testing. Deka has developed disease-specific Diakines™ designed to maximize patient benefits through improved pharmacokinetics/pharmacodynamics function through the targeted accumulation of dual and complimentary cytokines into affected tissues. By developing a better understanding of each patient's immune response to different Diakines™, Deka hopes to maximize the impact of its Diakines™ by building specific targeted therapies for everyone. SOURCE Deka Biosciences