RiverVest Venture Partners

The RiverVest Venture Partners team is thrilled to welcome two distinguished researchers to our Scientific Advisory Board. John C Cambier is a pioneer in B cell biology, renowned for his identification and characterization of the signaling function of B cell antigen receptor components CD79A and B. In related studies, his group defined mechanisms of inhibitory signaling by FcγRIIB, the first described checkpoint receptor, and were first to clone the Stimulator of Interferon Genes (STING), now a therapeutic target in cancer. Gary DeCrescenzo, whose work spans protease inhibitors, kinases, nuclear hormone receptors, and antibody-drug conjugates, has guided numerous programs from discovery to early clinical development across inflammation, cardiovascular, infectious diseases, and oncology. We also extend our deepest gratitude to John DiPersio, M.D., Ph.D., for his many contributions and dedication during his 20-year tenure as Scientific Advisor. John is stepping down from the SAB but will continue to be an important resource to the RiverVest team. Dr. Cambier and Mr. DeCrescenzo join current SAB members: • Ronald T. Borchardt, Ph.D., Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Pharmaceutical Chemistry at The University of Kansas-Lawrence • Jared Rutter, Ph.D., Distinguished Professor of Biochemistry and Dee Glen and Ida Smith Endowed Chair for Cancer Research at the University of Utah and Investigator of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute • Alessandro Sette, Dr. Biol. Sci., Professor and Member, La Jolla Institute for Immunology, Division of Vaccine Discovery, and Co-Director of the Center for Vaccine Innovation, the Center for Infectious Disease and Vaccine Research, and the Center for Autoimmunity and Inflammation • Peter Tontonoz, M.D., Ph.D., The Francis and Albert Piansky Professor of Pathology and Professor of Biological Chemistry at the University of California, Los Angeles Composed of leaders in medical research, RiverVest’s Scientific Advisory Board provides expert guidance to the firm as we identify and invest in promising biopharmaceutical and medical device companies. Read the release: https://lnkd.in/eFsUUff6 #SAB #lifescience #vc John McKearn Niall O'Donnell Derek Rapp Pascal Krotee, Ph.D. Biocom California

Exciting update from RiverVest portfolio company Engrail Therapeutics CEO Vikram Sudarsan, who will be presenting tonight (12/9/2024) at the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology meeting in Phoenix, AZ.

Exciting progress announced by RiverVest portfolio company Wugen -- the initiation of the first Phase 2 clinical trial of an off-the-shelf CAR-T cell therapy trial. John McKearn

Congrats to RiverVest portfolio company Bonum Therapeutics on an excellent addition to its board of directors! The company's future is bright. John McKearn

More exciting news from portfolio company Bluejay Therapeutics! Congratulations to new leadership team members Pete Garcia, Melissa Koomey, and Roland Gendron, and welcome to new board members Eric Dobmeier and Dan Spiegelman. RiverVest Venture Partners is proud to support Bluejay as the company continues to advance its promising pipeline, including BJT-778 in chronic hepatitis D.   #BluejayTherapeutics #BiotechLeadership #HepatitisD #CHD Keting Chu Pascal Krotee, Ph.D.

Congratulations to the team at portfolio company Bluejay Therapeutics on the very positive Phase 2 data released this week and presented at the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD) #TLM24 by Kosh Agarwal, MD, Consultant Hepatologist and Transplant Physician of The Roger Williams Institute of Liver Studies at King’s College Hospital in London. The data indicate that BJT-778, an investigational therapy for chronic hepatitis D (CHD), has the potential to make a tremendous difference for the patients battling this aggressive disease. We are excited for the company’s bright future. https://lnkd.in/eDnMci_j #bluejaytherapeutics #hepatitisdelta #CHD #CHB Keting Chu Pascal Krotee, Ph.D.

Thrilled to welcome Heather Turner to the Avalyn Pharma board as Niall O'Donnell passes the mantle. The company is making great progress, and we are excited about its future!

On World Diabetes Day (November 14), RiverVest Venture Partners recognizes the progress that has been made in diabetes care over the past 100 or so years, from the first administration of insulin to a person in 1921 to the development of a new #wearable device with electrochemical sensors so small that a patient can barely feel them and to drugs and therapies that might one day be deemed true cures. In our latest Expert Insight, RiverVest Managing Director Derek Rapp discusses the urgent unmet need for diabetes prevention (new data from the CDC show 1 in 6 American adults living with diabetes) and describes how RiverVest portfolio company Biolinq is addressing that need with a new type of (investigational) wearable device that empowers patients to take charge of their own metabolic health. Developments like Biolinq’s are made possible by a vital ecosystem that fosters innovation, creating new opportunities for people with diabetes to live happier, healthier, and longer lives. We invite you to learn more in the article posted here and on the RiverVest website (rivervest.com). #WorldDiabetesDay #T1D #T2D #metabolichealth Rich Yang Pascal Krotee, Ph.D. Niall O'Donnell

Proud to share exciting news from RiverVest Venture Partners portfolio company Wugen. The company has announced a Q1 2025 launch of its pivotal Phase 2 study evaluating the efficacy and safety of WU-CART-007 in patients with relapsed or refractory T-ALL/LBL.   T-ALL/LBL is an aggressive cancer with a significant need for new therapies. The company believes its potentially first-in-class, investigational, anti-CD7 CAR-T cell therapy will offer new hope for patients with T-ALL/LBL, many of whom are young.   Congratulations to the Wugen team on reaching this important developmental milestone, and welcome to Cherry T. Thomas, M.D., who has joined Wugen as Chief Medical Officer.   Kumar Srinivasan Matthew Cooper Niall O'Donnell #pivotaltrial #cancerdrug #CD7 #WUCART007 #CARTcelltherapy

Please join us in welcoming Nafise Masoumi to the RiverVest team. As a senior associate based in our San Diego office, Nafise will focus on deal sourcing, due diligence, and analysis of prospective investments and provide operational support for RiverVest’s portfolio companies. We look forward to her contributions as RiverVest continues to grow and advance promising technologies in the #biopharmaceutical and medical #device sectors. 👉 About Nafise:   Nafise brings extensive #MedTech and biopharmaceutical experience both in academia and the investment industry, most recently at Novo Holdings Venture Investments, where she engaged in discovery and due diligence for early- and late-stage biotech companies. Prior to Novo, Nafise worked at Takeda and Boston Consulting Group. Earlier in her career, Nafise completed fellowships at Flagship Pioneering and the Wyss Institute at Harvard.   Nafise earned a Ph.D. in Biochemical Engineering at Harvard-MIT Health Sciences and Technology (HST) and Penn State. She completed her postdoctoral fellowship in Robert Langer’s Lab at MIT and at the Department of Cardiac Surgery at Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School. Nafise holds MSc and BSc degrees in Chemical Engineering from Sharif University of Technology in Iran and was a visiting scholar at the Institute of Biomedical Engineering, University of Oxford, where she analyzed energy metabolism in the brain. Nafise has co-authored 21 peer-reviewed journal publications. Read the press release here: https://lnkd.in/g8tbdBK5