ARTICLE | Emerging Company Profile
Bluejay: combining HBV therapies to reach a functional cure
Emerging Company Profile: Led by Keting Chu, Bluejay is advancing HBV assets in-licensed from Novartis
August 12, 2021 8:53 PM UTC
Bluejay is applying a combination of therapies in-licensed from Novartis with an aim to cure chronic HBV by reducing viral surface antigen in both the liver and blood.
Founder, Chairman and CEO Keting Chu said she had been interested in building a company around HBV assets from Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS; SIX:NOVN) after the pharma exited infectious disease in 2018. A Novartis alum herself, Chu met Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research’s Jennifer Leeds at a California Life Sciences Institute meeting a few years ago; the connection set the stage for an in-licensing deal. Leeds is executive director and head of BD&L search and evaluation, West Coast and Canada...