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Orion Biotechnology
Unlocking the Therapeutic Potential of Metabolic GPCRs
Discovering the next-generation of G Protein-Coupled Receptor (GPCR) therapeutics for Obesity & Metabolic Disorders
Designing precision-engineered analogs of the natural ligand
Leveraging our proprietary PROcisionXTM discovery platform
Our Science
GPCRs regulate numerous diverse physiological and pathological processes, and while approximately one in every three marketed medicines target GPCR-associated pathways, approximately 85% of all GPCRs still remain undrugged.
By leveraging our proprietary technology and GPCR know-how, we are advancing differentiated therapies to overcome the current limitations of GPCR drug discovery and development.
Our novel scientific approach makes metabolic GPCRs accessible, providing Orion with the unique opportunity of developing first-in-class GPCR-targeting therapeutics.
Orion’s precision-engineered analogs are designed to effectively engage GPCRs and provide favourable characteristics (i.e., potency, binding affinity, pharmacological control).
Portfolio of Next-Gen GPCR-Targeted Therapeutics
for Obesity and Metabolic Disorders
Orion is developing two candidates against GPR75, a novel obesity target. Both assets have consistently demonstrated efficacy in preclinical evaluations, and we look forward to advancing these programs into clinical development.
| Target | Lead Asset | Indication | Discovery | Preclinical | IND-Enabling | Phase 1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GPR75 | OB-003 (Oral Small Molecule) |
Obesity | ||||
| GPR75 | OB-002 (Injectable Peptide) |
Obesity | ||||
| GIPR | OB-005 | Metabolic / Obesity | ||||
| Ghrelin | TBD | Metabolic / Obesity | ||||
| Amylin | TBD | Metabolic Disorders |
The PROcisionXTM Discovery Platform
Orion’s PROcisionXTM platform provides industry leading efficiency enabling completion of discovery campaigns from target identification to optimized lead in less than 6 months – a fraction of industry standard time.
The PROcisionXTM platform was designed to bypass the most onerous and time-consuming steps of GPCR drug discovery while generating molecules with a spectrum of signaling profiles.
Streamlined Phage Display
Multiplex Chemical Synthesis
Structure-Activity Matrix
Refinement and Optimization
The company’s fully integrated discovery process leverages our proprietary technology to produce optimized leads within 6 months, resulting in one of the most rapid discovery engines available in the industry today.
Selected target
Native ligand
Millions of analogs
Hundreds of hits
Leads
Optimized leads
Creation of a phage display library
Selection on cells expressing target receptor
Synthesis using Orion’s multiplex platform
Functional assays
Praveen Tyle, PhD
CEO
Prior to assuming the role of CEO at Orion Biotechnology, Praveen was the founder of Potens Pharmaceuticals and has over 40 years of pharmaceutical and biotechnology industry experience . Until April 2023, Dr. Tyle was the President, CEO and Board member of Invectys, Inc, an immuno-oncology company spun out of the world-renowned Pasteur Institute, Paris. Prior to joining Invectys, Inc in 2021, he was Executive Vice President of Research & Development at Lexicon Pharmaceuticals. Until February 2016, Dr. Tyle was President, Chief Executive Officer and Member of the Board of Directors of Osmotica Pharmaceutical Corp. He led the merger of Osmotica with two other companies in 2016. He previously served as global Executive Vice President, Chief Scientific Officer and Managing Director of Osmotica Pharmaceutical Corp.’s Marietta, Georgia site. Prior to joining Osmotica, Dr. Tyle served as Executive Vice President and Chief Science Officer for the United States Pharmacopeia (USP). Prior to joining USP, Dr. Tyle served as Senior Vice President and Global Head of Business Development and Licensing at Novartis OTC, as well as Senior Vice President and Global Head of Research and Development. Previously he served in a variety of senior pharmaceutical executive roles around the globe. Dr. Tyle holds a doctorate in pharmaceutics and pharmaceutical chemistry from the Ohio State University and a Bachelor in Pharmacy (honors) from the Indian Institute of Technology, Banaras Hindu University in India.
Anatole Klepatsky, MBA
Chief Operating Officer
Mr. Klepatsky is the Chief Operating Officer and a member of the Orion Biotechnology Board of Directors. A senior executive with over 20 years of corporate management experience, Mr. Klepatsky has established success in corporate management, operations, and international business. Prior to joining Orion Biotechnology, he was a co-founder and Managing Partner of Altius, a leading Eastern European M&A firm with strong track record in healthcare, biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries. He has also served as Director of several private and public corporations in Eastern Europe and Canada. As the Chief Operating Officer at Orion, Mr. Klepatsky leads business operations.
Jarret Engstrom, MBA/PMP
Director of Portfolio Management
Mr. Engstrom is the Director of Clinical Operations at Orion Biotechnology responsible for design and implementation of the company’s early clinical development platform. Mr. Engstrom has extensive experience spanning preclinical strategy and operations, CRO/CMO oversight, translational research and FDA regulated Investigational New Drug (IND) programs. Mr. Engstrom started his career as a Clinical Research Assistant and quickly advanced through increasingly senior positions to Director of Clinical Operations. He has worked with a variety of health organizations including the University of Pittsburgh Magee Women’s Research Institute, NASORCAP Medical, and ARGEN Health. In his previous roles, Mr. Engstrom was principally responsible for operational oversight, management, and delivery of complex translational research protocols as well as managing the critical relationship between laboratories and clinical research centers. In his role at Orion, he provides leadership and operational management for preclinical & clinical activities, with the goal of rapidly bringing our novel therapies to market.
Oliver Hartley, PhD
Vice President, Drug Discovery
Oliver Hartley is VP for Drug Discovery at Orion. He is the inventor of OB-002 as well as the key technology underlying Orion’s discovery platform. Trained as a biochemist, he completed a PhD in protein engineering (Cambridge, UK) with Sir Gregory Winter (Nobel Prize for Chemistry, 2018). Since then Oliver has worked at the University of Geneva, where his research on peptide engineering and GPCR pharmacology has led to a series of high-profile publications and new intellectual property, and at the Mintaka Foundation for Medical Research with a role as co-founder and Chief Scientific Officer.
John Jussup, LLB
General Counsel and Corporate Secretary
Mr. Jussup is the General Counsel and Corporate Secretary for Orion Biotechnology. Mr Jussup brings a background of broad experience in international business, intellectual property, corporate governance, mergers and acquisitions and securities law to his role at Orion Biotechnology. He received the Canadian General Counsel of the Year award, sponsored by The National Post and ZSA, in 2005, and holds the ICD.D designation from the Canadian Institute of Corporate Directors With over 30 years experience in both the public markets and government sectors, he has been a corporate legal executive to leading technology companies as well as private and public sector institutions. Mr. Jussup was Senior Vice President, Chief Legal Officer & Secretary of Cognos Inc, Canada’s largest software company from 1993 until its acquisition by IBM in 2008. He later served as General Counsel & Secretary of the Bank of Canada from 2009 until 2012. He served as Chair of the Board of Keek Inc from 2013 until 2016 (listed on the TSX:V) and currently sits on the advisory board of PBC Real Estate Advisors, an Ottawa-based real estate investment fund. John Jussup has been a member of the Law Society of Ontario since 1977.
Jason Burke, CPA
Chief Financial Officer
Mr. Burke is the Chief Financial Officer for Orion Biotechnology. He has over 20 years of experience providing operational and financial expertise to rapidly growing companies. Jason has previously served as Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer of Conversant Intellectual Property Management (formerly MOSAID). In these roles, Mr. Burke oversaw a fundamental reorganization of the company following a $560m leverage take private transaction by Sterling Partners, out of Chicago. Prior to Conversant, Jason served as Vice President Finance and Principal Accounting Officer of Massachusetts based AVID Technologies – a publicly traded audio and video solutions provider with $680m in annual revenues. Jason has also served as Chief Financial Officer of IBM Software Group, Business Analytics Division (Cognos and IBM Company) where he oversaw the integration of major portions of Cognos into IBM, as part of a $5 Billion acquisition. For all of his achievements, Jason was recognized by Treasury and Risk Magazine as one of the top Global 40 under 40 finance professionals in 2010.
Erik Heegard, MD/PhD
Medical Director
Erik Heegaard is a medical specialist, PhD, DMSc, and holds experience as Chief Medical Officer (CMO) at multiple leading pharmaceutical companies. As CMO of the oral GLP-1 project at Novo Nordisk, he successfully completed phase I and II trials, and served as chief architect of the global phase III clinical development program. Similarly, in his role as CMO at Evaxion, he was responsible for strategic development and tactical implementation of the clinical studies for the company's research programs. This required Erik to provide direct medical/physician oversight for phase I/II and proof of concept clinical trials, and clinical input into all aspects of discovery and preclinical development, from target selection to preclinical and regulatory strategy, and tactics. Furthermore, Erik's expertise in late-stage clinical development and commercialization supported his position in oncology medical affairs at Novartis and Seagen.
Jim McGuire, PhD
Director of Pharmacology
Jim has two decades of extensive experience in pharma and biotech across Europe and the US, with a notable 15-year tenure at Novo Nordisk specializing in biotherapeutics for cardiometabolic conditions. He contributed to 13 projects that went into development including work on semaglutide for diabetes and obesity treatment. Additional work included a variety of approaches to facilitate weight loss through central and peripheral manipulation of additive mechanisms together with GLP-1R agonism. He led early discovery programs at Catalyst Biosciences that resulted in asset sales to Vertex Pharmaceuticals.
Partnering
We are open to discussing out-licensing opportunities as well as R&D collaborations centered around the PROcisionXTM platform.
Contact us