Kosan Biosciences
Kosan Biosciences, Inc. (stock symbol: KOSN), was a pharmaceutical company which dealt with cancer therapeutics medications. The company was working on advancing two new classes of anticancer agents through clinical development: heat shock protein 90 (Hsp90) inhibitors and epothilones.
| Founded | 1995 |
|---|---|
| Headquarters | Hayward, California |
Key people | Helen S. Kim (President & CEO) |
Number of employees | 90 |
| Parent | Bristol Myers Squibb |
Their technology platform was based on manipulation of the genetic instructions of microbes for making natural product polyketides. Rearranging the modular units in natural polyketide synthases, combining modules from different enzymes, and incorporating novel synthetic chemical starter units enabled them to produce a wide variety of novel polyketides that would be difficult to obtain via organic synthesis alone.
Founded in 1995, Kosan was headquartered in Hayward, California and had approximately 90 employees. Kosan was funded in part as a venture capital start-up with funds from Sofinnova Ventures of California. Kosan was one of a small number of biotech companies focussed on polyketide drug discovery and development. Another was Biotica Technology Ltd..
On June 26, 2008, Kosan Biosciences was acquired by Bristol-Myers Squibb for $190M.