Dextera Biosciences is developing a new category of drugs, Synthetic D-Proteins, to overcome the limitations of current drug modalities. Synthetic D-Proteins exhibit antibody-like specificity to a single therapeutic target but with the broad distribution of small molecules, all while being otherwise “invisible” to the rest of the body. The consequences are that we can deliver sustained antibody-like activity specifically to interstitial targets, enable oral delivery with complete metabolic stability, and extend therapeutic durability with no immunogenicity. We are focusing on debilitating diseases where significant unmet need remains due to the limitations of current drugs.
The following video demonstrates the unique distribution advantages of D-Proteins compared to antibodies and small L-modalities.
Video credit: Sophie Hernot | Data credit: Laboratory team at Vrije Universiteit of Brussels.
Target | Indication(s) | Route |
Hit Discovery Lead Optimization IND Enabling Phase 1a,b |
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Payload Conjugate Oncology | |||
HER2 | Multiple | ![]() |
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Nectin-4 | Multiple | ![]() |
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Immuno-oncology | |||
PD-1 x VEGF | Multiple | ![]() |
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Immunologoy & Inflammation (I&I) | |||
TNF | IBD, RA, PSO | ![]() ![]() |
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IL-23 p19 | IBD, PSO | ![]() ![]() |
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IL-17 A/F | PSO, HS, AxSpA | ![]() ![]() |
Gregory Went, PhD
Chairman
CuraGen (Co-founder), Adamas (Co-founder)
Richard Van Den Broek
Founding Board Member
HSMR Advisors, Hambrecht & Quist
Richard Murdock
Board Member, Investor
Teneobio, CellPro, Sangstat Medical, OMT, Kyphon
Risa Stack, PhD
Board Member, Investor
The Production Board, GE Ventures, Menlo Microsystems (Co-founder), Veracyte (Co-founder), Kleiner Perkins
Dev Sidhu, PhD / Scientific Advisory Board Chair, Co-founder
Protein Engineering
University of Toronto, Genentech
Geoff Davis, PhD
Immunology, Human Monoclonal Antibodies
Abgenix (Founder)
Phil Dawson, PhD
Synthetic Peptides
Scripps Institute
Robert Alpern, MD
Nephrology
Yale University, AbbVie (Board of Directors)
David Chernoff, MD/ Medical Advisory Board Chair
Rheumatology
Chiron, Elan, TPG Biotech Ventures, Myriad, Adamas, Setpoint
Hilary Sheevers,
PhD
Nephrology, Toxicology
FDA, Aclairo (Founder), Janssen
Iain McInnes, MD, PhD
Immunology
University of Glasgow
Joel Bader, PhD
AI/ML Modelling, Synthetic Biology
Johns Hopkins
Ed Liu, MD
Oncology, Genomics Jackson Labs
Dr. Gregory Went currently serves as the CEO and Chairman of Dextera Biosciences. He joined in 2020, first as an investor, then stepped into his current role to drive the development of our platform and programs forward. Prior to Dextera, Greg co-founded Adamas Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: ADMS), serving as its CEO and Chairman from 2004 to 2019, where the company discovered, developed and launched three commercial products: Namenda XR and Namzaric (with Allergan) and GOCOVRI. Prior to that, he co-founded CuraGen Corporation (NASDAQ: CRGN), one of the first genomics companies, where he co-led the development of CuraGen’s genomics platform and led the corporate partnering efforts.
Greg completed his PhD in Chemical Engineering from the University of California, Berkeley, and his B.S. in Chemical Engineering from Carnegie Mellon University. He has published broadly in the fields of surface science, spectroscopy, DNA analysis, genomics, bioinformatics, infectious disease, neuroscience and neurology, and is an inventor on more than 70 issued patents and pending applications.
Severin Sigg is the Director of Discovery Chemistry at Dextera Biosciences. Severin leads chemistry of synthetic D-Proteins from early discovery to clinical development.
Severin is a cross-functional leader with over 10 years of chemistry experience in industry. In his last role, Severin was Director of Development and Manufacturing at Bachem in Switzerland and the US. His work focused on peptide process chemistry, managing process development and scale-up of peptide-based therapeutics from preclinical stages to commercial supply, including CMC development.
Severin trained as postdoctoral fellow at the University of California Berkeley’s Bioengineering Department and completed his PhD in chemistry from the University of Basel Switzerland.
Andreea Stuparu is the Associate Director of Pharmacology. Andreea leads Dextera’s nonclinical activities, including in vitro and in vivo pharmacology, pharmacokinetics, and nonclinical toxicology studies. Her work bridges discovery through early development.
Andreea has worked across a broad set of modalities, such as antibody-drug conjugates, bispecifics, and radiopharmaceuticals. In her last role, she led preclinical studies at Atreca. Her post-doctoral work at UCLA focused on the development and preclinical characterization of peptide-radionuclide conjugates, including Lutathera and Pluvicto.
Andreea completed her PhD in Chemistry at the University of Chicago and her B.S. in Chemistry at California Institute of Technology.
Julia Williams joined in 2021 and is the Senior Director of Finance for Dextera Biosciences, where she is responsible for financial strategy and operations.
Julia’s experience spans a range of financial operations and strategy roles across the life science and technology industries. Prior to joining Dextera, Julia was a finance and accounting consultant for startups in the Bay Area with Murdock Martell. She also has past experience in financial planning & analysis at Applied Biosystems.
Julia is a Certified Public Accountant in California and a Chartered Management Accountant. She earned her Bachelor of Business Administration from Sheffield Hallam University in England where she originally hails from.
Dr. Kyle Landgraf is the Senior Director of Discovery Research with the goal of driving innovation across our Synthetic D-Protein discovery platform and delivering early therapeutic candidates.
Prior to Dextera, Kyle built therapeutic discovery platforms for multiple companies. As a co-founder of Xyphos Biosciences, he developed an antibody-based approach for controlling CAR-T cells, leading to the acquisition of Xyphos by Astellas in 2019. Previously, Kyle trained as a postdoctoral fellow at Genentech where he worked on advanced protein engineering strategies across both peptide and antibody-like drug scaffolds. His work has resulted in multiple patents and peer-reviewed publications. He holds a PhD in Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics from the University of Colorado at Boulder.
Michael Bruce is CEO of Ohalo Genetics, a technology business providing transformational genomic solutions for the agriculture industry. Ohalo develops and markets breakthrough crop varieties that are designed to improve yield, quality, flavor, and resistance to pests and diseases, and respond to a changing world in a timely manner.
Before becoming Ohalo’s first CEO in June 2023, Bruce served as President and CEO of Exo Therapeutics, a small molecule drug discovery and development company, where he raised more than $100 million in new investments. Before that, Bruce served on the senior leadership team of Kaleido Biosciences, where he led and managed clinical operations, and was a member of the IPO deal roadshow team.