Nine Square Therapeutics, Inc.

The Michael J Fox Foundation (MJFF) has awarded Nine Square Therapeutics a research grant totalling $4.5m to accelerate the development of novel Parkin activators for the treatment of Parkinson’s disease (PD). Nine Square, a biotechnology company discovering novel small molecules to treat severe neurodegenerative diseases, said that the grant will contribute to accelerating the identification of drug candidates and could potentially deliver significant benefits to people living with PD. Globally, PD is the fastest-growing neurological disease and currently affects more than 10 million people worldwide. As a challenging condition to diagnose, varying symptoms and early signs of the condition such as tremors, stiffness and slowness, are primarily relied on in order to diagnose patients. However, symptoms often appear many years after the onset of PD. Mutations in Parkin, an intracellular protein that regulates mitochondrial quality control by selectively promoting the degradation of dysfunctional mitochondria, are strongly associated with early-onset PD. Nine Square has developed small-molecule candidates to promote Parkin activity to clear dysfunctional mitochondria and protect dopaminergic neurons. "Our Parkin activators have demonstrated the ability to promote mitochondrial turnover and improve mitochondrial function in cellular models of Parkinson’s disease," said Tina Schwabe, vice president and head of biology at Nine Square Therapeutics. She added: "We look forward to using these funds to advance the nomination of our clinical candidate." Commenting on the grant, Jessica Garcia, associate director of research programmes at MJFF, said that the foundation is “pleased to support researchers at emerging companies like Nine Square that have a differentiated approach to drug and target discovery and are committed to ushering in a brighter future for patients around the globe". In April this year, a study led by the MJFF identified a breakthrough biomarker that can reveal the key pathology of PD. Based on the study results, researchers say that they can confirm and measure the presence of the Parkinson’s protein, alpha-synuclein protein, to determine the likelihood of someone developing the disease.

Nine Square is building a diversified portfolio of ​first-in-class drug candidates for genetically validated targets along the autophagy/lysosomal pathway The company has identified compounds that promote Parkin activity to induce clearance of dysfunctional mitochondria with the goal to protect dopaminergic neurons​ SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Nine Square Therapeutics, a biotechnology company discovering novel small molecules to treat severe neurodegenerative diseases, today announced that it has been awarded a research grant from The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research (MJFF). The grant, valued at $4.5 million, will be used to accelerate the development of novel Parkin activators for the treatment of Parkinson’s disease (PD). “The Michael J. Fox Foundation grant will go toward accelerating the identification of drug candidates that may one day deliver meaningful benefits to people with PD,” said Tina Schwabe, Ph.D., vice president and head of biology of Nine Square Therapeutics. “In preclinical testing, our Parkin activators have demonstrated the ability to promote mitochondrial turnover and improve mitochondrial function in cellular models of Parkinson’s disease. We look forward to using these funds to advance the nomination of our clinical candidate.” Mutations in Parkin, an intracellular protein that regulates mitochondrial quality control by selectively promoting the degradation of dysfunctional mitochondria, are strongly associated with early-onset PD. Nine Square has developed small molecule candidates that promote Parkin activity to induce clearance of dysfunctional mitochondria and thereby protect dopaminergic neurons. “Research in neurodegenerative disease is experiencing rapid innovation, and MJFF is pleased to support researchers at emerging companies like Nine Square that have a differentiated approach to drug and target discovery and are committed to ushering in a brighter future for patients around the globe,” said Jessica Tome Garcia, Ph.D., associate director of research programs at MJFF. Nine Square was founded by life sciences venture capital firm Apple Tree Partners (ATP) and renowned scientists at the University of California San Francisco (UCSF). The company was built on the unique premise of converging phenotypic image-based cell profiling, computational molecular modeling and chemistry with clinical research to develop better drugs faster. Each of the founders is a leading authority in their respective fields, including computer-aided drug design, computational structural biology, biophysics and applying machine learning and AI to experimental data. The meeting of these disciplines, coupled with a differentiated approach to clinical observations and discovery, uniquely positions Nine Square to overcome the historical challenges of treating neurodegenerative diseases to develop better drugs for better targets. About Nine Square Therapeutics Nine Square Therapeutics is a biotechnology company integrating phenotypic cell profiling, chemistry and computational sciences in a quest to alter the trajectory of neurodegenerative disease. Founded by life sciences venture capital firm Apple Tree Partners (ATP) and renowned scientists at the University of California San Francisco (UCSF), Nine Square’s goal is to discover better drugs, faster. The company’s platform is currently focused on boosting autophagy/mitophagy, the body’s own cellular degrading machinery, with programs initially focused on Parkinson’s disease (PD), amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and lysosomal storage diseases. For more information, visit: and connect with us on LinkedIn. View source version on businesswire.com: Contacts Tara Cooper The Grace Communication Group tara@gracegroup.us 650-303-7306 Source: Nine Square Therapeutics View this news release online at:

Jacobson, an eminent research scientist working across disciplines including computational biophysics, physical chemistry, quantum mechanics, rational drug design, and protein structure prediction, has founded several successful companies including Global Blood Therapeutics, Relay Therapeutics, and Nine Square Therapeutics Jacobson joins a team of venture partners at ATP creating and building new biotech companies based on transformative scientific advances NEW YORK and SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif., July 11, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Apple Tree Partners (ATP), a leader in life sciences venture capital, announced today that Matthew P. Jacobson, Ph.D., serial biotech entrepreneur and Professor Emeritus in the Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry at University of California San Francisco (UCSF), has joined ATP as a venture partner. In this role, he will identify opportunities for new life sciences investments and company creation and provide strategic expertise to ATP's portfolio companies. He will be based in ATP's South San Francisco office. Dr. Jacobson's research interests are in the areas of computational biophysics and computer-aided drug design; he is the author of more than 200 publications and several patents. He presently devotes most of his time to biotech entrepreneurship and has co-founded six successful biotech companies in the past dozen years. His first, Global Blood Therapeutics, received accelerated FDA approval for Oxybryta (voxelotor) in sickle cell disease in 2019 and was acquired by Pfizer in 2022 for $5.4 billion. Other companies he has co-founded include Relay Therapeutics, which currently has four targeted oncology candidates in clinical development; Circle Pharma, a designer of precision macrocycle therapeutics; and ATP portfolio company Nine Square Therapeutics, focused on discovering small molecules to boost autophagy/mitophagy to treat ALS, Parkinson's, and other life-threatening neurodegenerative diseases. "We have enjoyed a productive working relationship with Matt for several years, and we are delighted to formally welcome him to ATP as a venture partner and scientific advisor," said Seth Harrison, M.D., Apple Tree Partners' founder and Managing Partner. "Matt joins us at a time when we are expanding our academic collaborations in California, and his network and knowledge across that ecosystem will further ATP's work to found new life sciences companies in the region. Beyond California, Matt brings unique expertise that applies across our current portfolio that we believe will provide our companies with substantial competitive advantages." "Over the past decade I have become deeply passionate about biotech entrepreneurship, driven by the goal of developing therapies to ameliorate grievous disease," Dr. Jacobson said. "I am excited to join ATP, because they bring together the key ingredients to enable success in this challenging and urgent endeavor: great science, great people, and great execution." Dr. Jacobson was an undergraduate at Stanford, earned his Ph.D. in Physical Chemistry at MIT, and then completed post-doctoral research at Oxford University and at Columbia University. He became a faculty member in the Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry at USCF in 2002, received tenure in 2007, and subsequently served as Director of the Graduate Group in Biophysics and then chair of his department. At UCSF, he received the NSF CAREER Award, the most prestigious award given by the National Science Foundation (NSF) to support junior faculty who exemplify the role of teacher-scholars through research and education, as well as an Alfred P. Sloan Fellowship and several UCSF School of Pharmacy teaching awards. He served on the editorial boards of eight journals, including Biochemistry, PLoS Computational Biology, and Structure. Software written by Dr. Jacobson and his collaborators is widely used in the pharmaceutical industry, and he served as a scientific advisor to Schrödinger, Inc., for two decades. About Apple Tree Partners Founded in 1999, Apple Tree Partners (ATP) is a leader in life sciences venture capital, with $2.65 billion in committed capital and offices in New York, London, San Francisco, and Cambridge, MA. ATP creates companies starting at various stages, from pre-IP ideas to asset spinouts, investing in them from seed stage through IPO and beyond. The core of ATP's strategy is providing flexible capital and access to a world-class team of venture partners and EIRs, to build sustainable, research-driven enterprises that deliver therapeutics to improve human lives. For more information, visit . MEDIA CONTACT: Sally Jacob / [email protected] SOURCE ATP