Faze Medicines Appoints Biotech Leader Philip Vickers, Ph.D., as Chief Executive Officer
Faze Medicines Appoints Biotech Leader Philip Vickers, Ph.D., as Chief Executive Officer
Faze Medicines, a biotechnology company pioneering therapeutics based on the groundbreaking new science of biomolecular condensates, today announced that it has appointed Philip Vickers, Ph.D., as its chief executive officer (CEO). Dr. Vickers previously served as president and CEO of Northern Biologics and has worked in a diverse array of senior leadership roles across biotech and leading pharma companies. Dr. Vickers takes the helm of Faze shortly after the company launched in December 2020 with an $81 million Series A financing. In addition to his role as CEO, Dr. Vickers will also join Fazes board of directors.
Dive Brief:
Dewpoint Therapeutics, a young drug company focused on an emerging field of research known as biomolecular condensates, said Wednesday that it is teaming up with Pfizer to develop new treatments for a rare kind of muscular dystrophy.
Dewpoint will receive an initial payment and, provided certain goals are hit, could take home up to $239 million more. The biotech is also eligible to receive royalties on any approved products that stem from the collaboration.
The companies work will target myotonic dystrophy type 1, a genetic disease characterized by muscle wasting, problems in the heart, lungs and brain, and early death. The National Organization for Rare Disorders estimates that DM1 affects around one in 8,000 to 20,000 people. The disease is also of interest to Faze Medicines, another biotech exploring biomolecular condensates.
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Human cells are often compared to factories, filled with microscopic machines that transport supplies, remove waste, generate energy and guard against intruders.
Though much is known about how these factories work, many parts remain mysterious. Scientists have long noticed, for example, that certain proteins and molecules cluster together to form tiny droplets, they just didn t have many clues as to why.
That was, until recent studies suggested the clusters now called biomolecular condensates are important tools for regulating cell activities. And if they re incorrectly put together, the thinking is they may malfunction and give rise to a variety of diseases, from ALS to cancer.