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Vir Advances Antibodies Against COVID-19, CEO Scangos Leads BIO’s Coronavirus Outreach

 
• By Mandy Jackson

Scrip talked to George Scangos about his dual roles in the pandemic response, helming Vir as the company tests antibody and siRNA approaches while working with BIO to facilitate coronavirus collaborations.

3DCoronavirus
Vir generated antibodies against coronaviruses before the COVID-19 pandemic • Source: Shutterstock

George Scangos made a surprising shift when the former Biogen CEO left the world of big biotech to lead an infectious disease-focused start-up. Vir Biotechnology Inc. emerged in early 2017 with $150m and quickly brought its fundraising total later that year to more than $500m. The company went public late last year and Vir’s participation in the search for a coronavirus treatment has thrust the company into the spotlight in the last month, and elevated Scangos’s profile once again since he’s also leading BIO’s outreach to biotech firms to help get their coronavirus ideas from concept to clinical trials.

Vir’s stock has surged from $12.15 at the start of the year to $39

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