- Company to develop genetic medicines using programmable, non-viral delivery platforms built on two in vivo validated approaches
- Co-founded by gene editing pioneers David Liu and Keith Joung, and led by CEO Jeff Walsh and CSO Melissa Bonner
- Company funded by top-tier life science investors Newpath Partners, Atlas Venture, F-Prime Capital, and 5AM Ventures, with participation from GV and ARCH Venture Partners
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. — April 9, 2024 — Nvelop Therapeutics, a biotechnology company engineering programmable, non-viral vehicles for the in vivo delivery of therapeutic cargo, today formally announced its launch to develop the next generation of genetic medicines for a wide range of diseases. The company’s approach has the potential to enable highly efficient and cell-specific delivery of a broad set of therapeutic cargoes.
“The field of genetic medicine is significantly limited by the challenge of efficiently delivering therapeutic cargoes to many types of target cells in vivo,” said Jeff Walsh, Nvelop’s Chief Executive Officer. “With the combination of best-in-class technologies, scientific co-founders with a deep track record in cell and gene therapy, and a team that has pioneered the development of some of the first approved therapies in the field, Nvelop is uniquely positioned to unlock the promise of genetic medicines.”
Nvelop’s modular platforms are based on two in vivo validated delivery approaches developed at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, and Massachusetts General Hospital by luminaries in the gene editing field – co-founders David Liu, Ph.D., and Keith Joung, M.D., Ph.D. These novel approaches are designed to realize the potential of genetic medicines by addressing the limitations of currently available delivery platforms with improved:
- Delivery efficiency, enabling potent therapies to target diseases across multiple tissues in which a high degree of activity is required for clinical benefit;
- Tissue specificity, driving targeted in vivo delivery to cells and tissues that have been historically difficult to reach;
- Cargo diversity, allowing delivery of a wide range of cargo types and sizes, including transiently expressed proteins (e.g., base and prime editor ribonucleoproteins – or RNPs); and
- Safety advantages, expanding the number of diseases treatable with genetic medicines. Increased safety is achieved by optimized RNP cargoes and intricately engineered particles with the potential to be fully humanized.
One of Nvelop’s platform technologies, with in vivo data, has been published in prestigious peer-reviewed journals, including Cell (2022) and Nature Biotechnology (2024). In vivo data for the second platform is expected to be disclosed at one or more scientific meetings this year.
“At Nvelop, we stand on the cusp of an extraordinary journey, as our delivery technologies have the potential to be truly disruptive,” said Melissa Bonner, Ph.D., Nvelop’s Chief Scientific Officer. “I’m excited to be a part of a team committed to building a future in which curative therapies are more broadly accessible.”
In addition to its distinguished scientific co-founders, Nvelop has assembled a team of experienced scientists, industry executives, and company builders with a collective reputation for innovation and business excellence. Nvelop was founded in 2022, having raised an initial round of $100 million.
“At Nvelop, we’re building a culture of curiosity, trust and mutual respect, where we are invested in each employee’s growth, because we believe that great science that brings benefit to patients is only possible in an environment that fosters the best in everyone,” added Walsh.
Executive team:
- Jeff Walsh – Chief Executive Officer. Jeff brings more than 30 years of leadership experience with high growth, public and private life sciences companies, including as Chief Financial Officer and Strategy Officer of bluebird bio
- Melissa Bonner, Ph.D. – Chief Scientific Officer. Melissa brings 20 years of cell and gene therapy experience, most recently as Head of Research of bluebird bio, where she led a team that was instrumental in securing FDA approvals for ZYNTEGLO™, SKYSONA™, and LYFGENIA™
- Lisa McGrath – Chief People Officer. Lisa has more than 20 years of experience driving impactful people and culture initiatives, most recently as Chief People Officer at Surface Oncology
Board of Directors – Nvelop’s board of directors comprises leaders in the gene and cell therapy fields, and investors from top venture capital firms:
- Jeff Walsh – CEO, Nvelop Therapeutics
- Jess Alston, Ph.D. – Partner, F-Prime Capital
- Kevin Bitterman, Ph.D. – Partner, Atlas Venture
- Thomas Cahill, M.D., Ph.D. – Founder and Managing Partner, Newpath Partners
- Jeff Marrazzo – Independent Board Member, Former CEO of Spark Therapeutics
- Deborah Palestrant, Ph.D. – Partner, 5AM Ventures
About Nvelop Therapeutics
Nvelop Therapeutics was founded in 2022 to address the challenge of efficiently delivering therapeutic cargoes to target cells in vivo. Nvelop’s next-generation platforms enable highly efficient and cell-specific in vivo delivery of a wide range of cargoes to many types of target cells. The two platforms were independently developed in the labs of scientific co-founders and gene editing pioneers Dr. David Liu of the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, and Dr. Keith Joung at Massachusetts General Hospital. With its own pipeline of therapeutics and through strategic collaborations, Nvelop aims to use these programmable, non-viral platforms to transform delivery for a broad range of genetic medicines and modalities in order to treat many previously undruggable diseases. Based in Cambridge, Mass., Nvelop is backed by top life science investors including Newpath Partners, Atlas Venture, F-Prime Capital, 5AM Ventures, GV, and ARCH Venture Partners. For more information, visit www.nveloptx.com or follow us on LinkedIn, X (Twitter), and Instagram.
Media Contact
Mohana Ray
Scientific Director, HDMZ
Email: mohana.ray@hdmz.com
Phone: 312-506-5210
Corporate Contact
Jason Glashow
Glashow Strategic Communications for Nvelop
Email: jglashow@nveloptx.com
Phone: 617-510-1800