Nathaniel David
Nathaniel David is an American scientist and entrepreneur who co-founded a series of technology companies in the biotechnology and sustainable energy sectors, including Syrrx (acquired by Takeda Pharmaceutical Company), Achaogen (NASDAQ: AKAO), Kythera Biopharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: KYTH, acquired by Allergan), Sapphire Energy and Unity Biotechnology.[1][2][3] These companies have collectively raised more than $1.5 billion in financing.[2]
Nathaniel David | |
---|---|
![]() Nathaniel David at the Hello Tomorrow Summit in Paris, 2016 | |
Born | San Francisco, California, U.S. |
Nationality | American |
Alma mater | Harvard University, University of California, Berkeley |
Known for | Structural biology, Crystallography, Sustainable Energy |
Awards | MIT Technology Review Young Innovators Under 35 |
Scientific career | |
Fields | Biotechnology, Sustainable Energy |
Institutions | Kythera Biopharmaceuticals, Sapphire Energy, Unity Biotechnology |
Biography
David earned an A.B. in Biology from Harvard University and a Ph.D. in Molecular and Cellular Biology from University of California, Berkeley.[4] He co-founded his first company, Syrrx, during the final year of his doctoral work at UC Berkeley.[4] Syrrx was the first company in the world to build a high-throughput structural biology ‘factory,’ using automation, nano-scale experiments, and crystallography to make the determination of atomic structures of proteins easier, faster, and cheaper.[5][6]
In 2002, while at Syrrx, he was named to the MIT Technology Review TR35 as one of the top 35 innovators in the world under the age of 35.[7]
In 2005, Syrrx was acquired by Takeda, and the FDA-approved drug Nesina arose from Syrrx discovery efforts.[8][9]
David left Syrrx to co-found Achaogen (NASDAQ: AKAO), an antibiotic company, and Kythera Biopharmaceticals (NASDAQ: KYTH).[1][10] He served as Chief Science Officer of Kythera while the company created a now-FDA-approved injectable drug Kybella that triggers the selective destruction of fat cells.[11][12] Kythera went public in October 2012 on the NASDAQ exchange under the ticker symbol KYTH, and was acquired by Allergan in 2015 for $2.1 billion.[13][14]
Achaogen's antibiotic plazomicin is effective against multidrug-resistant infections of Enterobacteriaceae.[15] In 2016, plazomicin demonstrated noninferiority for urinary tract infections (UTIs) in a pivotal phase III trial against colistin, and against meropenem for complicated UTIs and acute pyelonephritis.[16][15] The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved plazomicin for adults with complicated UTIs and limited or no alternative treatment options in 2018; it is now sold under the brand name Zemdri.[17]
In 2007, while still serving as Chief Science Officer at Kythera, David co-founded Sapphire Energy, a company with a mission to develop renewable, algae-derived transportation fuels that are 100% compliant with the existing energy infrastructure.[18] In 2010, the company began construction of the world's first commercial algal bio-refinery, a project that was awarded more than $100 million in federal funding.[19][20]
In 2011, David co-founded Unity Biotechnology (NASDAQ: UBX),[21] a company dedicated to lengthening human healthspan by selectively clearing senescent cells from the body.[1][22][23][24] UNITY is creating medicines that target multiple diseases of aging.[1] David is currently the President of Unity Biotechnology.[21][25]
References
- "Unity Bio Wants To "Lengthen Health Span," But 1st Goals More Modest | Xconomy". Xconomy. Retrieved 2016-03-09.
- "Buck Institute launches Unity Biotechnology startup". The North Bay Business Journal. Retrieved 2016-03-09.
- Runge, Wolfgang (2014). Technology Entrepreneurship : A Treatise on Entrepreneurs and Entrepreneurship for and in Technology Ventures. Vol 2. KIT Scientific Publishing. p. 1032. ISBN 978-3-7315-0107-7.
- "Biotech on brink of breakthroughs". SFGate. Retrieved 2016-03-09.
- Pollack, Andrew (2000-07-04). "Analyzing Proteins With X-Rays, Crystals and Some Luck". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2016-03-09.
- Pollack, Andrew (2000-07-04). "The Next Chapter in the Book of Life Is Written in the Proteins". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2016-03-09.
- "Innovator Under 35: Nathaniel David, 33". MIT Technology Review. Retrieved 2016-03-09.
- Pollack, Andrew (2005-04-20). "Some in Biotech Prefer an Acquisition to an I.P.O." The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2016-03-09.
- Parsa, Kishore Vl; Pal, Manojit (2011-08-01). "Preclinical development of dipeptidyl peptidase IV inhibitor alogliptin: a brief overview". Expert Opinion on Drug Discovery. 6 (8): 855–869. doi:10.1517/17460441.2011.588695. ISSN 1746-045X. PMID 22651127. S2CID 24271265.
- "Emerging from Stealth Mode to Prevent Diseases of Aging Unity Biotechnology to Double Hiring in Bay Area". www.biospace.com. Retrieved 2016-03-09.
- "Backed by a lineup of marquee VCs, Unity Biotechnology tackles the hard science of aging". FierceBiotech. Retrieved 2016-03-09.
- "FDA approves treatment for fat below the chin" (Press release). U.S. Food and Drug Administration. April 29, 2015. Archived from the original on 2015-05-01. Retrieved 2016-03-09.
- Sachetta, Ryan. "Allergan to Buy Kythera Biopharmaceuticals for $2.1 Billion". Bloomberg.com. Retrieved 2016-03-09.
- "Top 10 biotech IPOs of 2012". FierceBiotech. Retrieved 2016-03-09.
- Wagenlehner FME, Cloutier DJ, Komirenko AS, Cebrik DS, Krause KM, Keepers TR, Connolly LE, Miller LG, Friedland I, Dwyer JP, et al. (EPIC Study Group) (February 21, 2019). "Once-Daily Plazomicin for Complicated Urinary Tract Infections". New England Journal of Medicine. 380 (8): 729–740. doi:10.1056/NEJMoa1801467. PMID 30786187.
- "Plazomicin Succeeds in Two Pivotal Phase 3 Studies". P&T Community. MediMedia. December 12, 2016. Retrieved 10 October 2019.
- "ZEMDRI™ (plazomicin) Approved by FDA for the Treatment of Adults with Complicated Urinary Tract Infections (cUTI)". Achaogen. June 26, 2018. Retrieved 10 October 2019.
- Hsu, Tiffany (2009-10-04). "Using algae to make fuels, he's thinking beyond pond scum". Los Angeles Times. ISSN 0458-3035. Retrieved 2016-03-09.
- "Sapphire Energy: Biofuels Digest's 2014 5-Minute Guide : Biofuels Digest". www.biofuelsdigest.com. Retrieved 2016-03-09.
- Pollack, Andrew (2010-07-26). "Exploring Algae as Fuel". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2016-03-09.
- "Unity SEC S-1 Form". April 5, 2018. Retrieved 2018-11-14 – via sec.gov.
- "Mayo Clinic Taps Silicon Valley to Help People Age Gracefully". Fortune. Retrieved 2016-03-09.
- Yong, Ed. "Clearing the Body's Retired Cells Slows Aging and Extends Life". The Atlantic. Retrieved 2016-03-09.
- "Boosting Life Span By Clearing Out Cellular Clutter". NPR.org. Retrieved 2016-03-09.
- "New Anti-Aging Startup Hopes To Clear Out The Body's Retired Cells". Fast Company. Retrieved 2016-03-09.