Despite advances in the immuno-oncology field, 70-80% of patients do not respond or have a limited response to existing therapies, such as checkpoint inhibitors.
Portage Biotech aims to change this with a unique approach that drives the development of first-in-class immuno-oncology therapies for patients with cancer.
Our Mission: To identify and accelerate promising medicines that revolutionize treatment and quality of life for patients with cancer.
Using our diverse drug platforms and strong industry network to identify novel assets and asset combinations, we’ve created a model that incorporates the proven practices of our team’s previous successes to catalyze and revolutionize R&D.
Quality Science & Development Strategy
We know quality science and leverage our team’s deep knowledge to create a viable product development strategy that supports commercial potential and company growth. We execute the development process and create strategies to guide novel immuno-oncology assets and asset combinations from bench through human proof of concept.
Track Record of Success
Portage’s team of scientists, clinicians and pharma-experienced executives have a long history of success. The team has collectively contributed to five oncology drug approvals, created many high-value exits and knows the right experiments to pick the most promising clinical therapies and efficiently package them for commercialization or acquisition. Among our most notable projects is the early investment, formation and growth of Biohaven Pharmaceuticals, leading the Company to the second-largest IPO in 2017 and later its successful commercialization leading to acquisition by Pfizer for approximately $12 billion in 2022.
De-Risking Clinical Development
We reduce the risks associated with early clinical development through more efficient capital management and scientific oversight. Each platform in our pipeline yields multiple products, and those products are discussed with potential big pharma partners and selected for clinical development if they are differentiated and have a compelling product profile. We continue to review hundreds of potential therapeutic candidates, utilizing a fail-fast approach to select only the most promising assets and asset combinations to advance.
Leadership
Dr. Ian Walters has over 20 years of leadership and expertise in oncology/immunology drug development and specializes in the evaluation, prioritization and innovation of new therapies for the treatment of severe diseases.
Robert has 24 years of experience in the pharmaceutical industry and is the former Head of Oncology Discovery Research at both Bristol-Myers Squibb and Janssen Pharmaceuticals, part of the Johnson & Johnson group of companies.
Ms. Park previously served as Interim Chief Financial Officer and Chief Accounting Officer of Serina Therapeutics, Inc. following the consummation of the reverse merger with AgeX Therapeutics, Inc. in March 2024 through August 15, 2024. Prior to the merger, Ms. Park served as Chief Financial Officer for AgeX since May 2020 and as Vice President of Finance and Controller since October 2019. Ms. Park’s career spans over 25 years of public accounting and finance experience. Before joining AgeX Ms. Park served as Vice President of Finance and Controller from June 2016 to September 2019 and as Corporate Controller from August 2009 to June 2016 for Lineage Cell Therapeutics, Inc. (formerly BioTime, Inc.). Earlier in her career she worked in the audit and assurance practice at Deloitte. Ms. Park has a B.A. in Business Economics with Concentration in Accounting from the University of California, Santa Barbara.
As Controller, Adam Melero directs accounting activities at Portage.