2024 Fierce 15: Top Biotech Companies
Abdera Therapeutics
- Founding Year: 2020
- Location: Vancouver, British Columbia, and South San Francisco, California
- Clinical Focus: Small cell lung cancer and large cell neuroendocrine carcinoma
- Key Achievement: Secured $142 million in funding and received FDA fast-track designation for extensive-stage small cell lung cancer (SCLC).
- Platform: ROVER (Radio Optimized Vector Engineering) uses modular antibodies to target new types of cancers.
- Current Status: Developing ABD147, a precision radiopharmaceutical therapy, with promising preclinical results showing complete tumor ablation with a single dose.
Ascidian Therapeutics
- Founding Year: 2020
- Location: Boston
- Clinical Focus: RNA therapeutics, particularly for eye diseases
- Key Achievement: Partnered with Roche for exclusive rights to its RNA exon-editing technology, securing a $42 million upfront payment and up to $1.8 billion in milestone payments.
- Platform: Developing exon-editing RNA therapeutics to address the underlying causes of retinal and neurological diseases.
- Current Status: Advancing ACDN-01, an early-stage candidate for treating ABCA4-related retinal diseases, with plans to initiate a phase 1 trial soon.
Both companies are pushing the boundaries in their respective fields, leveraging cutting-edge technologies to address significant unmet medical needs.
