Epic Leaps Forward
Odyssey is pioneering revolutionary precision immunomodulators and oncology medicines for patients living with serious diseases. We are dedicated to improving patient quality of life and creating transformative medicines with unprecedented efficiency.
Visionary Leadership
The Odyssey team is composed of experienced scientists, innovators, and clinicians that have driven meaningful advances in the treatment of inflammatory diseases and cancer across dozens of approved therapies. Our collective expertise allows us to work with urgency, efficiency, and rigor.
Our highly integrated drug hunting engine – fusing next-generation machine learning, target biology, and medicinal and structural chemistry – is designed to accelerate drug discovery by unlocking targets with the greatest potential while minimizing attrition. Our goal is to generate and develop medicines that can produce extraordinary leaps in outcomes for patients in need.
Collaboration combines expertise in computational chemistry, artificial intelligence and machine learning, to help advance discovery and development of medicines for difficult-to-drug targets
BOSTON, April 4, 2024 — Odyssey Therapeutics, Inc., a biotechnology company pioneering next-generation precision medicines, announced today it has entered into a strategic research collaboration with Janssen Pharmaceutica NV, a Johnson & Johnson company, to jointly discover and optimize small molecule medicines against select therapeutic targets. The companies will combine their expertise in artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML), computational chemistry and drug discovery to unlock difficult-to-drug targets. The agreement was facilitated by Johnson & Johnson Innovation.
Since its founding in 2021, Odyssey has assembled a team of expert drug hunters with deep experience in immunology, oncology, medicinal chemistry and structural biophysics, and armed them with next-generation computational tools to solve difficult therapeutic challenges. This integration of in silico methods, cutting-edge experimental capabilities, and wet lab infrastructure enables the scientists at Odyssey to rapidly discover and develop potentially transformative medicines for patients.
“We are excited about this collaboration to push the boundaries of the drug discovery and development process, using the latest advancements in AI and ML to find solutions for serious diseases,” said Gary D. Glick, Ph.D., founder and CEO of Odyssey Therapeutics. “This collaboration between our chemists, biologists, and data scientists will help accelerate our joint drug discovery efforts through optimization of our tools, data sharing, and model development to discover and develop transformational medicines for patients in need.”
Under the terms of the agreement, Odyssey will work with discovery and therapeutic area experts and data scientists at Johnson & Johnson to deploy AI and ML to discover and optimize small molecule therapeutics against multiple targets. Odyssey will receive an upfront payment and is eligible for milestone payments and royalties.
About Odyssey Therapeutics
Odyssey Therapeutics is a biotechnology company focused on discovering, developing and commercializing the next-generation of immunomodulators and oncology medicines. Composed of an expert team of drug hunters, scientists and industry leaders in foundational biology, chemistry and data sciences, Odyssey is transforming drug discovery to accelerate and drive the creation and efficient delivery of life-enhancing precision medicines to patients. For more information, please visit odysseytx.com and follow Odyssey Therapeutics on X (formerly Twitter) and LinkedIn.
Media Contact
Michael Sullivan
503-799-7520
BOSTON, April 2, 2024 — Odyssey Therapeutics, Inc., a biotechnology company pioneering next-generation precision immunomodulators and oncology medicines, today announced the appointment of Julie Clauss, MBA, as chief operating officer and Christopher Butler, Ph.D., as senior vice president (SVP), head of Chemistry. Together, these individuals bring more than 40 years of leadership experience and scientific expertise within the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries to Odyssey.
“As we take extraordinary leaps to improve patient outcomes, we continue to recruit the best and brightest to join our team,” said Gary D. Glick, Ph.D., founder and CEO of Odyssey Therapeutics. “Ms. Clauss and Dr. Butler have proven track records of successfully leading teams to achieve strategic business and research goals. With their backgrounds, we will continue to push new frontiers in drug discovery and development for patients living with serious diseases.”
Ms. Clauss will oversee Odyssey’s business, administrative and clinical operations, providing cross-functional leadership to each of these critical functions. She will work closely with the executive team to drive operational excellence and support the realization of Odyssey’s vision of delivering transformative medicines to advance the standard of care for patients living with immune diseases and cancer. Previously, Ms. Clauss served as the vice president and lead for the Gene Therapy Platform at Ultragenyx, aligning functions across programs and driving operational efficiency, as well as the vice president and head of Research and Development (R&D) Operations at Ipsen Bioscience, establishing the strategic portfolio management group and developing data-driven global R&D strategies. Her career also includes leadership positions at Sanofi Pasteur and Sanofi. Ms. Clauss received a Master of Business Administration through the Sloan Fellows program at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. She holds a Master of Engineering degree from Ecole Centrale Mediterranee and a Master of Science degree in Chemistry and Physical Sciences from Joseph Fourier University.
“At Odyssey, I aim to leverage my leadership experience to help drive innovation, align functions and enhance operational efficiency to achieve meaningful, patient-centric solutions,” said Ms. Clauss. “Odyssey is advancing a pipeline of medicines with exceptional potential, and I look forward to collaborating with passionate colleagues to help realize the company’s mission.”
As SVP and head of Chemistry, Dr. Butler will play a pivotal role in shaping the strategic direction of the company’s research efforts, driving innovation and fostering a culture of excellence within the chemistry department. Prior to joining Odyssey, he held various leadership positions at Vertex Pharmaceuticals and Pfizer. Dr. Butler earned his Ph.D. in organic chemistry at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and has published numerous papers and received several awards for his research efforts related to synthetic and medicinal chemistry.
“I was drawn to Odyssey because of the breadth and depth of its talented scientists and leadership, as well as its relentless investment in data sciences, chemistry and research,” said Dr. Butler. “As expert drug hunters, they are at the forefront of scientific discovery, working to stay ahead of inflammatory diseases and cancer, and solve problems to get medicines to patients faster.”
About Odyssey Therapeutics
Odyssey Therapeutics is a biotechnology company focused on discovering, developing and commercializing the next generation of immunomodulators and oncology medicines. Composed of an expert team of drug hunters, scientists and industry leaders in foundational biology, chemistry and data sciences, Odyssey is transforming drug discovery to accelerate and drive the creation and efficient delivery of life-enhancing precision medicines to patients. For more information, please visit odysseytx.com and follow Odyssey Therapeutics on X (formerly Twitter) and LinkedIn.
Media Contact
Michael Sullivan
503-799-7520
Financing led by Ascenta Capital with participation from new and existing investors; Dr. Lorence Kim joins board of directors
BOSTON, Dec. 5, 2023 — Odyssey Therapeutics, Inc., a biotechnology company pioneering next-generation precision immunomodulators and oncology medicines, today announced the closing of a $101 million Series C financing round led by Ascenta Capital with participation from new and existing investors, including OrbiMed, SR One, General Catalyst, Foresite Capital, Woodline Partners LP, HBM Healthcare Investments, Colt Ventures, BlackMars Capital GmbH, Creacion Ventures, funds and accounts advised by Fidelity Management & Research Company, funds and accounts advised by T. Rowe Price Associates, Inc., Catalio Capital Management, Walleye Capital, Alexandria Venture Investments, Racing Beach Ventures LLC, The Healthcare Innovation Investment Fund LLC, an investment fund associated with Leerink Partners, Ab Magnitude Ventures, KB Investment, The Global BioAccess Fund, and multiple leading global investors. This Series C financing brings the total capital raised since founding in late 2021 to $487 million. Proceeds will support the advancement of multiple programs into clinical studies and the continuation of investment in discovery to build a sustainable model for therapeutic innovation.
“Odyssey has rapidly advanced a portfolio of immunology and oncology therapeutics with the goal of providing transformative medicines for large numbers of patients in need and several of these molecules have the potential to enter the clinic in the next 12 months,” said Gary D. Glick, Ph.D., founder and CEO of Odyssey. “For us, success is defined as bringing safe and effective medicines to patients with serious diseases, with support from Ascenta and our other investors driving our pipeline into the future. We welcome Dr. Lorence Kim, co-founder and managing partner of Ascenta Capital, to our board to join us in achieving this mission.”
Dr. Kim brings a wealth of strategic, financial and operational acumen from the biotechnology and pharmaceutical sectors to Odyssey’s board. Notably, during his tenure from 2014 to 2020 as Moderna’s chief financial officer, he raised $4.4 billion to build the company’s technology platform, advance multiple clinical programs and invest in mRNA infrastructure. Prior to Moderna, Dr. Kim advised established pharmaceutical and emerging biotech companies as co-head of biotechnology investment banking at Goldman Sachs.
“Odyssey’s accomplished team of scientists and executives with numerous prior successes in discovery, development and commercialization has made tremendous progress in only two years,” said Lorence Kim, M.D. “Dr. Glick has successfully created a sustainable and capital-efficient model that primes Odyssey to be a hub for immunology and oncology therapeutic innovation, and I look forward to working with him, the board and leaders on the management team in the years ahead.”
From its headquarters in Boston, Odyssey has built a comprehensive drug discovery and development platform merging both computational and experimental technologies. This unique set of tools enables Odyssey to identify drug targets with the highest clinical potential in a modality-agnostic fashion. In just two years, the company has moved multiple programs forward from ideation to a portfolio of high-value product candidates.
“Odyssey continues to accelerate multiple pre-clinical programs in immunology and oncology,” said Jeff Leiden, M.D., Ph.D., Chairman of the Odyssey board. “By raising additional capital from world-class investors and adding a board member with expertise in drug development and company building, we are positioning Odyssey for success over the next several years as our pipeline enters clinical development.”
About Odyssey Therapeutics
Odyssey Therapeutics is a biotechnology company focused on discovering, developing and commercializing the next generation of immunomodulators and oncology medicines. Composed of an expert team of drug hunters, scientists and industry leaders in foundational biology, chemistry and data sciences, Odyssey is transforming drug discovery to accelerate and drive the creation and efficient delivery of life-enhancing precision medicines to patients. For more information, please visit odysseytx.com and follow Odyssey Therapeutics on X (formerly Twitter) and LinkedIn.
About Ascenta Capital
Ascenta Capital is a biotech-focused late-stage venture fund, co-founded in 2023 by Dr. Evan Rachlin and Dr. Lorence Kim. The fund is focused on concentrated investments in companies developing portfolios of therapeutics based on innovative platform technologies. For more information about Ascenta Capital, visit ascentacap.com.
Media Contact
Michael Sullivan
503-799-7520
BOSTON, Nov. 9, 2023 — Odyssey Therapeutics, Inc., a biotechnology company pioneering next-generation precision immunomodulators and oncology medicines, will present data highlighting three of its immunology programs at the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) Convergence 2023 meeting in San Diego, California, November 10-15, 2023.
Odyssey’s oral and poster presentations will unveil the first public data for three novel therapeutic approaches to treat large populations with underserved inflammatory and autoimmune diseases. The receptor interacting protein kinase 2 (RIPK2) and interleukin-1 receptor-associated kinase 4 (IRAK4) scaffolding inhibitors, as well as tumor necrosis factor receptor-2 (TNFR2) agonist for regulatory T (Treg) cell modulation, represent targets and approaches of high interest in the pharmaceutical industry, given their broad potential to treat inflammatory disease.
“Odyssey’s team of expert drug hunters are tirelessly working to pioneer groundbreaking therapeutic strategies for the management of autoimmune disease,” said Gary D. Glick, Ph.D., founder and CEO of Odyssey Therapeutics. “At ACR, we’ll give patients, researchers and investors the first look at our RIPK2 and IRAK4 scaffolding inhibitors, as well as TNFR2 agonist for Treg cell modulation. These therapies can offer transformative benefits for patients, and the findings shared at ACR reflect significant scientific progress and achievement by our team to understand and solve complex biology with small molecule and protein therapeutics.”
Oral Presentation
Title: Discovery of First-in-Class IRAK4 Scaffolding Inhibitors for the Treatment of Inflammatory Disorders
Abstract number: 2505
Session type: Abstract Session
Date and time: Tuesday, November 14, from 4-5:30 p.m. PST
Poster Presentations
Title: Discovery of a RIPK2 Scaffolding Inhibitor for the Treatment of Joint Autoimmune Diseases
Abstract number: 0061
Session type: Poster Session A
Date and time: Sunday, November 12, from 9-11 a.m. PST
Title:Anti-TNFR2 VHH Agonistic Antibodies Promote and Stabilize Treg Immunosuppressive Activity
Abstract number: 0068
Session type: Poster Session A
Date and time:Sunday, November 12, from 9-11 a.m. PST
About Odyssey Therapeutics
Odyssey Therapeutics is a biotechnology company focused on discovering, developing and commercializing the next generation of immunomodulators and oncology medicines. Composed of an expert team of drug hunters, scientists and industry leaders in foundational biology, chemistry and data sciences, Odyssey is transforming drug discovery to accelerate and drive the creation and efficient delivery of life-enhancing precision medicines to patients. For more information, please visit odysseytx.com and follow Odyssey Therapeutics on X (formerly Twitter) and LinkedIn.
Media Contact
Michael Sullivan
503-799-7520
BOSTON, October 4, 2023 — Odyssey Therapeutics, Inc., a biotechnology company pioneering next-generation precision immunomodulators and oncology medicines, today announced the appointment of Jeremy Sokolove, M.D., as chief medical officer. In this role, Dr. Sokolove will develop, lead and drive the development strategy and execution of all Odyssey’s clinical assets. Additionally, he will be responsible for selecting, prioritizing and accelerating the company’s entire drug development portfolio.
“As the newest member of our executive leadership team, Dr. Sokolove’s medical expertise and background in the biopharmaceutical industry will be critical to the success of our clinical development programs and achieving our corporate goals,” said Gary D. Glick, Ph.D., founder and CEO of Odyssey Therapeutics. “With his vision and leadership, we will continue to improve patient outcomes by delivering life-enhancing precision medicines to those living with inflammatory diseases and cancer.”
Previously, Dr. Sokolove served as senior vice president and head of Clinical Pharmacology and Experimental Medicine at GSK, overseeing all aspects of early and translational development for specialty pharma, as well as companywide clinical pharmacology and imaging. Prior to GSK, he was head of Immunology Translational Science at AbbVie, where he built a portfolio-wide translational medicine strategy and led several early-phase development programs, including the first novel-novel combination study in immunology. Dr. Sokolove also initiated and led phase 3 studies in rheumatoid arthritis and giant cell arteritis, and supported the first global filing of upadacitinib (Rinvoq). Additionally, he served as co-founder of two biotechnology companies, including Atreca, Inc., a publicly traded company in the vaccinology and immuno-oncology space.
Outside of his industry work, Dr. Sokolove was on the faculty in the Division of Immunology and Rheumatology at Stanford University School of Medicine and a primary investigator at the VA Palo Alto Health Care System. For more than 18 years, he has maintained a clinical practice in rheumatology, as well as internal and emergency medicine. In these roles, he has received numerous teaching awards for his contributions to student, resident and fellow education, and has authored numerous patents, abstracts, book chapters, and over 90 peer-reviewed publications.
Dr. Sokolove completed his fellowship and postdoctoral research training in rheumatology and immunology at Stanford Medical Center. He completed his residency and chief residency in internal medicine at Boston University Medical Center and earned his medical degree from Boston University School of Medicine after receiving a Bachelor of Science in biochemistry from the University of New Hampshire.
“It’s an exciting time to join Odyssey as the organization transitions to a clinical-stage biotechnology company,” said Dr. Sokolove. “I look forward to working with a world-class scientific team to implement and execute successful clinical trials to create the next generation of transformative medicines for patients.”
About Odyssey Therapeutics
Odyssey Therapeutics is a biotechnology company focused on discovering, developing and commercializing the next generation of immunomodulators and oncology medicines. Composed of an expert team of drug hunters, scientists and industry leaders in foundational biology, chemistry and data sciences, Odyssey is transforming drug discovery to accelerate and drive the creation and efficient delivery of life-enhancing precision medicines to patients. For more information, please visit odysseytx.com and follow Odyssey Therapeutics on X (formerly Twitter) and LinkedIn.
Media Contact
Michael Sullivan, Spectrum Science
BioSpace Editorial Staff
Odyssey Therapeutics Launched: December 2021 Location: Cambridge, MA Series A: $218M Series B: $168M
Notable: Odyssey is on a journey to discover and develop novel targets. The company has so far declared eight programs in immunology and oncology. Differentiator: Odyssey is rapidly expanding. Just ten months after securing $218 million in Series A funds, the company closed an oversubscribed Series B worth $168 million. As of October 2022, Odyssey counted more than 160 team members.
Leadership: Odyssey is helmed by serial biotech entrepreneur Gary Glick, Ph.D., who has founded several companies including IFM Therapeutics, Scorpion Therapeutics and First Wave Bio.
