Apr 15, 2020

PIC Therapeutics , a Boston, MA-based biotechnology company focused on transforming the treatment of cancer though the selective modulation of oncogene translation, closed a $5M seed equity funding. The round was led by Advent Life Sciences with participation from Belinda Termeer, widow of Genzyme CEO Henri Termeer, as well as several biopharmaceutical industry executives and other individual investors. The company intends to use the funds to advance its development ettorts. Led by Sun Altbach, CEO, PIC Therapeutics is a biotechnology company focused on developing a new generation of therapeutics based on the modulation of RNA translation. PIC’s therapeutics target the “master switch” of cancer signaling pathways, selectively blocking oncogene protein production by modulating the Pre-Initiation Complex (PIC) that drives their mRNA translation. The company was founded based on the extensive research of scientific founder Professor Gerhard Wagner of Harvard University and is led by founding CEO Sun Altbach, a 20+ year life sciences veteran and by Dr. Alan Walts, Executive Chairman and Venture Partner at Advent Life Sciences. PIC’s Board of Directors consists of: Alan Walts, PhD, Executive Chairman of the Board; Venture Partner, Advent Life Sciences Sun Altbach, MBA, CEO and President, PIC Therapeutics Richard Peters, MD, PhD, Co-Founder, PIC Therapeutics; CEO Yumanity Therapeutics Belinda Termeer, Termeer Foundation Gerhard Wagner,PhD, Co-Founder, PIC Therapeutics; Elkan Rogers Blout Professor of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School PIC’s Scientific and Corporate Advisory Board consists of: Keith Flaherty, MD, Director of Clinical Research at the Cancer Center at MGH Jennifer Petter, PhD, Founder and Chief Scientific Officer of Arrakis Therapeutics Nahum Sonenberg, PhD, Biochemistry Professor and Gilman Cheney Chair, McGill University Yat Sun Or, PhD, Chief Scientific Officer, Enanta Pharmaceuticals Jan Van Heek, MBA, Board Member, Amarin Corporation and Minerva Neuroscience Gerhard Wagner,PhD, Co-Founder, PIC Therapeutics; Elkan Rogers Blout Professor of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School FinSMEs