Dementia Discovery Fund announces the appointment of Angus Grant PhD as CEODr Grant from Celgene to join DDF in JulyDementia Discovery Fund completes fundraising with $350 millionLondon (June 25, 2018) — The Dementia Discovery Fund (DDF) is pleased to announce the appointment of Angus Grant, PhD as its CEO with effect from 9 July 2018. In line with increased investor demand, demonstrated in the fund closing with £250 million ($350 million at the time of completion), the DDF’s team has continued to grow to support what is now the largest venture fund focused entirely on discovering and developing novel therapies for dementia, including Alzheimer’s disease.
Dr Grant has more than 20 years’ international experience in the regulation and development of pharmaceuticals. Most recently he served as Corporate Vice President, Business Development at Celgene, a pre-eminent biopharmaceutical company with a demonstrated history in investing in disruptive science which may lead to new treatments for patients. Prior to joining Celgene, he held numerous positions in business development and regulatory affairs at Novartis, Merck KGaA/EMD, RPR/Gencell and SmithKline Beecham. Prior to joining industry, Dr Grant worked at the US National Institutes of Health and the Food and Drug Administration. He sits on the Board of MaRS Innovation – Toronto – A University Consortium to foster the creation of start-up companies in Ontario. Dr Grant holds a PhD in Anatomy/Immunology from the Medical College of Virginia, Richmond, US. He will be based in the DDF’s US office in Boston.
Kate Bingham, Managing Partner of SV, said: “We are extremely pleased to welcome Angus Grant to the DDF. Angus has a huge amount of experience and strong track record in asset identification, business development, regulatory, deal making with novel therapies internationally, and we look forward to the significant guidance and expertise that he will bring to the fund.”
Angus Grant added: “Dementia is a global societal problem, which is appropriately the subject of ever increasing attention. Having watched these efforts evolve, and seen the DDF grow to be a leading driver in the search for disease-modifying treatments, I am especially proud to be joining a stellar team. I look forward to working with the DDF, its partners and investors to accelerate the opportunities for success as we work to bring innovative medicines to patients.”
For further information, please visit the DDF website at www.theddfund.comAbout the Dementia Discovery Fund (DDF)
The DDF is a venture capital fund which invests in projects and companies to discover and develop novel, effective disease-modifying therapeutics for dementia. Seven leading pharmaceutical companies (Biogen, Eli Lilly and Company, GSK, Johnson & Johnson, Otsuka (Astex), Pfizer and Takeda), AARP, Aegon, Bill Gates, British Patient Capital, NFL Players Association, Quest Diagnostics, UnitedHealth Group, Woodford Investment Management via Woodford Patient Capital Trust (WPCT), the UK’s Department of Health and Social Care and charity Alzheimer’s Research UK have invested in the DDF to date. Heads of Neuroscience and R&D represent these strategic investors on the DDF Scientific Advisory Board and work closely with SV’s dedicated team of neuroscientists and experts to identify and evaluate novel approaches for the treatment of dementia. SV won the bid to become Manager in a competitive selection process held in 2015. www.theddfund.com.
About SV Health Investors
SV Health Investors, formerly named SV Life Sciences, is a healthcare and life sciences venture capital and growth equity firm. SV targets early-stage opportunities in biotechnology; early-stage and revenue-stage opportunities in medical devices; and growth equity investments for later-stage businesses in healthcare services and digital health. Over the past 20 years, SV Health Investors has invested in more than 175 companies. The firm currently has over $2.5 billion of capital commitments under management. SV Health Investors has offices in Boston and London. For more information, please visit www.svhealthinvestors.com.
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