We are Problem Solvers
and Proven Drug Developers.
At DTx, we are a group of flexible, innovative thinkers who are determined to solve one of the biggest challenges limiting the development of genetic medicines. Anchored by our expertise in RNA therapeutics and our proprietary FALCON™ platform, we’ve developed a unique pipeline of novel therapeutic candidates to help patients with ocular, neuromuscular and CNS diseases.
To advance the FALCON platform toward and into clinical development, DTx has raised more than $100M in combined investment from world’s leading healthcare investors including RA Capital and Access Biotechnology, pharmaceutical companies such as Eli Lilly, the National Institute of Health (NIH), and research foundations such as the CMT Research Foundation (CMTRF).
Unlocking Oligonucleotide Therapeutics.
RNA medicines can address countless disease targets, currently undruggable by small molecules or biologics, by inhibiting or altering the expression of disease-causing genes.
Historically, this class of medications, which includes siRNA and antisense oligonucleotides, has been hampered by challenges with drug delivery.
DTx Pharma FALCON technology addresses the fundamental challenges associated with delivering RNA therapeutics by leveraging fatty acid receptors for cellular uptake and leveraging fatty acid albumin interactions to promote biodistribution. Our team has created a platform called FALCON™ (Fatty Acid Ligand Conjugated OligoNucleotide) that promotes efficient non-toxic cellular uptake and enhanced systemic bioavailability. We combine the latest in RNA technology with our own proprietary IP to create novel therapies that can efficiently reach targets beyond the liver, taking RNA therapeutics to new heights.
FALCON:
Fatty Acid Ligand Conjugated OligoNucleotide
DTx’s strategy to advance our unique platform is to:
Focus on genetically-defined diseases
Prioritize indications with limited competition where DTx can own the space
Explore partnering opportunities across on-strategy therapeutics areas and in novel therapeutic areas where our FALCON technology can provide value
Immunology
Target(s)
Our Lead Programs
Eye
DTx Pharma is pursuing numerous opportunities in ophthalmology as there are a large number of indications with significant unmet need where RNA therapeutics are attractive and because RNA therapeutics have significant advantages over gene therapies in terms of distribution to cells with underlying genetic lesions. Further, RNA therapeutics can last as much as a year following a single injection. Our most advanced program in the eye targets a disease called retinitis pigmentosa (RP).
We anticipate moving our first clinical candidates for RP into clinical development in 2022.
Neuromuscular
Our FALCON platform enables delivery of RNA therapeutics to key tissues impacted in neuromuscular diseases, including muscle, heart and peripheral nerves. We are pursuing multiple genetic diseases driven by genetic defects in skeletal muscle, cardiac muscle and the peripheral nervous system. We anticipate moving our first clinical candidates for neuromuscular disease(s) into clinical development in 2023.
Other Research Areas
Our FALCON platform also has the potential to address neurodegenerative, cardiovascular, immune and oncology indications. DTx Pharma has been awarded multiple grants from the NIH (NCATS, NIA), and foundations including the TPEP program of the Alzheimer’s Association and Rainwater Charitable Trust and the CMTRF to advance its efforts to treat CNS diseases.
Our Leadership Team
Arthur T. Suckow PhD
Co-founder and CEOArthur T. Suckow PhD
Dr. Suckow received his BS from the University of Delaware and his PhD from University of California, San Diego. He has worked for Johnson & Johnson, AstraZeneca and Regulus Therapeutics. Dr. Suckow’s extensive experience in fatty acid pharmacology includes advancing small molecules targeting fatty acids and fatty-acid conjugated peptides into early clinical development. Dr. Suckow has received numerous awards including a Beckman Fellowship, NSF graduate research fellowship, a BIOCOM catalyst award and many others.
Denise Bevers
Chief Operating OfficerDenise Bevers
Ms. Bevers joined DTx as Chief Operating Officer in November 2020. She brings over 30 years of pharmaceutical and biotechnology industry experience to DTx, with significant drug development expertise and a history of building clinical, commercial and manufacturing teams. Prior to joining DTx, Ms. Bevers served as President & COO of Kindred Biosciences, a veterinary biopharmaceutical company that she co-founded in 2012. Previously, Ms. Bevers was President & Founding Partner of SD Scientific and held management positions at Elan Pharmaceuticals, SkyePharma, Quintiles, and Scripps Clinic and Research Foundation. Currently, Ms. Bevers serves on the Board of Directors of KindredBio, Hilltop Bio and on the Board of Trustees of the La Jolla Playhouse.
Bryan Laffitte PhD
Chief Scientific OfficerBryan Laffitte PhD
Dr. Laffitte brings almost twenty years of pharmaceutical and biotechnology industry experience to DTx, with significant expertise leading research teams across many scientific disciplines and advancing programs from pre-clinical development through IND filings. Dr. Laffitte joins DTx from Inception Therapeutics, Inc., where he served as Vice President, Biology and was responsible for the managing research activities for Inception and several of its subsidiary companies including Tempest Therapeutics, Lycia Therapeutics, Osprey Therapeutics and Metis Therapeutics.
Jill Howe
Chief Financial OfficerJill Howe
Ms. Howe joined DTx as Chief Financial Officer in June 2021. She brings to the role more than 20 years of experience in the biotechnology sector in operational and financial strategy, treasury, global infrastructure, and compliance management. Prior to joining DTx, Ms. Howe served as Treasurer and Vice President of Finance for Gossamer Bio, a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company, where she was the internal project lead for the company’s initial public offering, follow-on, and debt offerings, and oversaw finance for 18 subsidiaries across the U.S. and Ireland. She previously held Controller and Director of Finance roles at Amplyx Pharmaceuticals, Receptos, and Somaxon Pharmaceuticals.
Charles Allerson PhD
VP ChemistryCharles Allerson PhD
Dr. Charles “Chuck” Allerson joined DTx Pharma as VP of Chemistry and Drug Development in August of 2019. His extensive experience in oligonucleotide chemistry and therapeutics will help accelerate development of the DTx delivery platform and help leverage this technology for the development of new therapies. Prior to joining DTx Pharma, Dr. Allerson served as VP of Chemistry at Stoke Therapeutics, where he supported early stage discovery as well as the development of Stoke’s lead compound, STK-001, for the treatment of Dravet Syndrome.
Our Board of Directors
Andrew Adams
CSO, RNA Therapeutics, Eli Lilly & Co.Andrew Adams
Andrew is Eli Lilly’s Chief Scientific Officer for RNA Therapeutics. His eight year tenure at Eli Lilly & Co. includes positions of increasing responsibility in metabolism, diabetes and external innovation. Prior to joining Eli Lilly, Andrew was a Research Fellow at Harvard Medical School. Andrew received his Bsc (honors) and his PhD in Zoology and Neuroscience at the University of Aberdeen in Scotland.
Dan Becker MD PhD
Access BiotechnologyDan Becker MD PhD
Dan Becker is a Partner at Access Biotechnology, the biopharmaceutical investing arm of Access Industries, a privately held US-based industrial group with global strategic investments of $25+ billion. Prior to joining Access, Dan was a Principal at New Leaf Venture Partners, where he played a key role in multiple private and public biopharma investments, and a Principal in the Health Care practice at the Boston Consulting Group, where he led projects across the healthcare sector with an emphasis on biopharma R&D. Dan trained clinically in internal medicine and nephrology at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Massachusetts General Hospital, and was a Research Fellow at Harvard Medical School. He obtained both his MD and PhD (Cellular and Molecular Biology) degrees from the University of Michigan, and received his BS in Physiology from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
Jeff Friedman MD PhD
Managing Partner Friedman Bioventure FundJeff Friedman MD PhD
Dr. Friedman is an experienced life sciences investor with over 50 previous investments in the sector. He is a Pediatric Hematologist/Oncologist, receiving his MD/PhD from Stanford and clinical training at Boston Children’s Hospital/DFCI. Prior to his current role, he led the life sciences section of Tech Coast Angels, San Diego, the largest Angel Investment group in the US. As a philanthropist, Dr. Friedman served on the board of CurePSP and continues to manage the PSP Genetics Consortium, a collaborative sequencing effort between CurePSP, NIH, the Tau Consortium and 13 academic investigators around the world. Earlier in his career, Dr. Friedman led a basic hematology research lab for nearly a decade at the Scripps Research Institute in San Diego. In addition to DTx Pharma, Dr. Friedman is also on the board of Pet Dx.
John Grundy PhD
Co-founder, DTx PharmaJohn Grundy PhD
Dr. Grundy received his PhD from University of Alberta and has more than 20 years of experience working in the pharmaceutical industry including at Ionis Pharmaceuticals, Eli Lilly & Company, GlaxoWellcome and Elan Pharmaceuticals. He was VP of DMPK & Clinical Pharmacology at Ionis and over his career, has worked on 6 approved therapeutics, including the oligonucleotide therapeutics Kynamro® and Spinraza®, the biologics Tysabri® and Prialt®, and the small molecules Zonegran® and Contrave®. He has proven that he can successfully manage assets from early clinical development through to POC in man. Dr. Grundy is currently VP of Nonclinical Development and Clinical Pharmacology at Arena Pharmaceuticals.
Matthew Hammond PhD
Board MemberMatthew Hammond PhD
Matthew Hammond joined RA Capital in 2014 and is currently a Principal on the Investment Team. Matthew works on both public and private investments and serves as a Director for Cerebral Therapeutics, Kira Pharmaceuticals, and Research Alliance Corp I. Matthew holds a BS in Environmental Health Science from the University of Georgia and both a PhD in Biomedical Science and an MBA with a concentration in Finance from the University of Connecticut. His graduate research investigated innate immune responses after intracerebral hemorrhage.
Tim Scott
CEO, TEGA TherapeuticsTim Scott
Mr. Scott is co-founder and CEO of TEGA Therapeutics. He previously was President of Pharmatek Labs, a CDMO sold to Catalent in 2016. Mr. Scott also serves on the Board of Avelas Bioiosciences, BIOCOM and CONNECT, a non-profit helping to create innovation in San Diego. At UC San Diego, he serves on the Dean’s Advisory Council for the Division of Biological Sciences. Mr. Scott also serves on the board of the San Diego Blood Bank, and as a trustee for the La Jolla Playhouse. Mr. Scott earned his B.A. in Biochemistry, and his J.D. from UCSD and is a member of the California Bar.
Arthur Suckow PhD
CEO, DTx PharmaArthur Suckow PhD
Dr. Suckow received his BS from the University of Delaware and his PhD from University of California, San Diego. He has worked for Johnson & Johnson, AstraZeneca and Regulus Therapeutics. Dr. Suckow’s extensive experience in fatty acid pharmacology includes advancing small molecules targeting fatty acids and fatty-acid conjugated peptides into early clinical development. Dr. Suckow has received numerous awards including a Beckman Fellowship, NSF graduate research fellowship, a BIOCOM catalyst award and many others.
Investors
Careers
We pride ourselves on solving problems, pushing the boundaries of science, and creating state-of-the-art medicines. Addressing complex, genetic diseases with creative thinking and novel science is what moves us ahead and what will improve the lives of patients.