From Inception, Tempest Plans To Kick Up IO Storm

Emerging Company Profile: Spinning out of Versant Ventures’ Inception Sciences, San-Francisco-based development-stage biotech Tempest Therapeutics Inc. completes $70m Series B round to advance small molecules that modulate anti-tumor immunity pathways.

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Marrying legendary small molecule therapeutic development expertise with a deep understanding of novel immune therapies is one way to make a splash in the crowded immuno-oncology space. Taking four programs nurtured and spun out from Inception Sciences Inc., Versant Ventures' drug discovery engine, Tempest Therapeutics Inc. has been established to develop small molecule therapeutics that target immune cells in the tumor microenvironment.

Key members of the Tempest team include CEO Tom Dubensky, a biotech veteran who was most recently chief scientific officer at Aduro BioTech Inc. and led the advancement of...

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