Gen2 is a start-up drug discovery company seeking to develop drugs that target toxic tau species that cause pathology in dementia, thereby slowing disease progression.
London and Boston, 3 June 2016 - The Dementia Discovery Fund, managed by SV Life Sciences, an innovative global investment fund launched in October 2015 to develop disease modifying drugs for dementia, announces an investment in new drug discovery company Gen2 Neuroscience Ltd. Gen2 is a seed company engaged in the discovery and development of novel treatments for dementia targeting abnormal forms of the essential cellular protein tau. The company uses proprietary platforms (human diseased and healthy neurons generated from inducible stem cells derived from dementia patients) to identify and target pathological forms of tau, with the aim of developing novel drugs to these tau species. The development of such a novel anti-tau therapeutic intervention could make it possible to slow disease progression.
Gen2 Neuroscience has a strong founding team led by Rick Livesey (CEO) from the University of Cambridge who brings a deep understanding of tau biology and the use of human stem cell systems for research in neurodegeneration. Mark Treherne PhD (CEO of Talisman, Ex-Pfizer, BioFocus, Senexis) is Chairman, and Emily Scraggs PhD (COO of Talisman, formerly RAND Corp, Viant Corp, Keane Inc) is COO.
Carol Routledge, Venture Partner, said: "DDF’s mission is to provide resources for worldleading scientists to pursue novel approaches to treating dementia. This investment in Gen2 and its scientific team is fully aligned with our mission."
Rick Livesey, Gen2 Neuroscience, CEO, added: "The entire Gen2 team is excited to work with the DDF to accelerate the development of anti-tau therapeutics in dementia. The DDF team is providing valuable support at this key stage in the company’s development."
For further information please visit the DDF website at www.theddfund.com
Contacts:
SV Life Sciences - Dementia Discovery Fund
Carol Routledge, Venture Partner, carol.routledge@svlsm.com, +44 20 7421 7091
Laurence Barker, CBO, laurence.barker@svlsm.com, +44 20 7421 7094
Gen2 Neuroscience Ltd
Rick Livesey, CEO, rick@gen2neuro.com, +44 1223 804074
Emily Scraggs, COO, emily@gen2neuro.com, +44 7917 730429
Consilium Strategic Communications
Mary-Jane Elliott, Chris Gardner, Amber Fennell, Ivar Milligan
DDF@consilium-comms.com +44 20 3709 5700
About Gen2 Neuroscience Ltd
Gen2 is a seed-stage company founded in January 2016 based in Cambridge UK using neuronal platforms (human diseased and healthy neurons generated from stem cells) to identify disease-associated aberrant forms of tau. The company was founded and is led by Rick Livesey, from the Gurdon Institute, University of Cambridge an academic with a deep understanding of tau and its biology. Co-founders, Mark Treherne PhD (Chairman) and Emily Scraggs PhD (COO), bring decades of proven management and business experience. Legal services for Gen2 are provided by Simon Wallwork, partner at Slater Heelis LLP.
About the Dementia Discovery Fund
The DDF is an innovative global investment fund with the goal of delivering new disease modifying drugs for dementia by 2025. The fund was created by six pharma companies (Biogen, GSK, J&J, Lilly, Pfizer, Takeda), the UK Department of Health and Alzheimer’s Research UK who have each contributed money and expertise through a dedicated DDF Scientific Advisory Board. In late 2015, SV Life Sciences was appointed to be Manager of the DDF. World-class neuroscientists have been hired into the SV team in London and Boston to lead the scientific strategy, led by Dr Tetsu Maruyama, who most recently headed up Takeda’s global discovery and neuroscience group. The DDF works collaboratively with universities, academic institutes, government, the regulatory agencies and the pharmaceutical industry internationally to identify and develop novel drugs for dementia.
About SV Life Sciences
SV Life Sciences is a leading international life sciences venture capital firm. SVLS affiliated funds have invested in over 175 private life sciences companies since the early 1980s and the firm closed its first dedicated life sciences fund in 1994. The SVLS team manages six private venture capital funds with approximately $2 billion of capital under management. The firm employs a diversified strategy within life sciences in order to selectively capitalise on an expanding opportunity in biotech, medical devices and health-care services. SVLS has offices in Boston, London and San Francisco.
