Cambridge, MA – September 30, 2015 – Surface Oncology, a leader in next‐generation cancer immunotherapies announced today that it has been named by FierceBiotech as one of 2015's Fierce 15 biotechnology companies, designating it as one of the most promising private biotechnology companies in the industry.
Surface Oncology focuses on science beyond immune checkpoint inhibitors and targets the immuno‐suppressive tumor microenvironment where tumor and immune cells interact. Surface Oncology is changing the tumor microenvironment by targeting suppressive cell populations and inhibitory cytokines and metabolites, and expects to have lead candidates entering the clinic in 2016.
"It's an honor to be recognized by Fierce as one of the promising new companies in the field", says Deltev Biniszkiewicz, President and CEO of Surface. "I am inspired with how far the company has come in such a short time. The preclinical findings are promising and Surface has the potential to have a meaningful impact on patient outcomes."
"Wayne Gretzky's famous phrase about hockey, 'skate to where the puck will be rather than where it has been,' applies over and over again in biopharmaceutical research," Elliott Sigal, former head of R&D at Bristol Myers told FierceBiotech. "When the immuno‐oncology world was centered on checkpoint inhibition of T cells, Surface Oncology assembled experts of immune regulation focused on other cells in the tumor environment. A talented, seasoned internal team and great collaborations with each of these external laboratories has resulted in the timely development of a pipeline of therapeutic approaches with considerable preclinical data. In the coming year I imagine we are going to see both disclosure of some of the pipeline's exciting data as well as at least one corporate relationship".
The Fierce 15 celebrates the spirit of being "fierce" – championing innovation and creativity, even in the face of intense competition. This is FierceBiotech's thirteenth annual Fierce 15 selection. A complete list of "Fierce 15" companies can be found online at www.fiercebiotech.com/fierce15.
About Surface Oncology
The company was created to advance next‐generation approaches to cancer immunotherapy based on proprietary insights about novel immunotherapy targets and emerging areas of cancer immuno‐biology. The company's scientific founders and SAB are comprised of world‐leading immunologists and cancer researchers, including co‐chairs Sasha Rudensky (Memorial Sloan Kettering) and Arlene Sharpe (Harvard/DFCI). They are joined on the SAB by Christopher Hunter and John Wherry (University of Pennsylvania), Carla Rothlin (Yale University), Elliott Sigal, and John Stagg (University of Montreal).
Surface Oncology completed a $35 million Series A financing in December 2014. Atlas Venture, which seeded the company, led the round, joined by New Enterprise Associates, Fidelity Biosciences, Lilly ($LLY) Ventures, Amgen ($AMGN) Ventures, Novartis ($NVS) Institutes for Biomedical Research, and Elliott Sigal, the former head of R&D at Bristol‐Myers. For more information, visit www.surfaceoncology.com.
About FierceBiotech
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CONTACTS:
Matt Burke:
Surface Oncology
[email protected]
+1 603.315.0618
Rebecca Friend
FierceBiotech
202‐824‐5050
[email protected]