Accelerator Life Science Partners

I am thrilled to share that Thong Le has joined my team at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation as the Director of the Strategic Investment Fund (SIF). Mr. Le brings more than 25 years of investment experience in the life sciences industry, with a strong track record of making impactful investments that improve lives and of shaping effective investment strategies and deal-making processes.?? Mr. Le will lead the SIF team to pursue equity, debt, and guarantee investments that further the foundation’s philanthropic priorities.? These program related investments (PRIs) serve as high impact tools to stimulate private-sector driven innovation, encourage market-driven efficiencies, and attract external capital to priority global health and development initiatives that improve the health and wellbeing of people around the world.? Mr. Le will also chair SIF’s investment committee which includes external members with global investing experience and internal representatives with experience across the foundation’s programs. Thong brings a wealth of experience as a successful entrepreneur and senior investment strategist, and we're fortunate to have him leading SIF so that the foundation can support opportunities that align well with the needs of our program strategy teams and their aspirational goals.?Prior to joining the Gates Foundation, Mr. Le served as Senior Managing Director at Accelerator Life Science Partners (ALSP), a venture capital firm focused on developing next-generation life science companies.? Since joining ALSP in 2013, he crafted a strategic direction and led the firm’s expansion beyond the Pacific Northwest while delivering strong strategic and financial returns.? Prior to ALSP, Thong spent nearly 15 years as Managing Director at WRF Capital, the venture investment arm of the Washington Research Foundation, where he financed and supported the growth of early-stage life sciences and technology companies.? Mr. Le received his A.B. in Government from Harvard University and completed postgraduate studies in business at Templeton College, Oxford University.?? Please join me in congratulating Mr. Le and welcoming him to the Gates Foundation.

I’m pleased to announce that Proniras Corporation, an Accelerator Life Science Partners portfolio company, has achieved a significant milestone with the enrollment and dosing of the first patient in our Phase 1 clinical trial of PRN-001-01 (tezampanel) for opioid withdrawal syndrome (OWS) at Indiana University School of Medicine! This advancement represents a crucial step in our strategic vision to develop novel therapeutics that address significant unmet medical needs in substance use disorders. PRN-001-01 (tezampanel), a selective antagonist of the AMPA and kainate subtypes of the ionotropic glutamate receptor family, is a testament to our unwavering commitment to develop innovative scientific approaches for central nervous system disorders like OWS. We are honored to be conducting this clinical study with our partners at Indiana University School of Medicine under the leadership of R. Andrew Chambers, M.D., Professor of Psychiatry and Director of Addiction Psychiatry Training. ?Dr. Chambers and his team are renowned for their expertise in addiction medicine and clinical research, and they bring a wealth of knowledge to the development of PRN-001-01. The initiation of this trial is a significant moment in Proniras Corporation's evolution as we transition to a clinical-stage development organization.? I want to express my gratitude to the Proniras Corporation team, our board of directors, and our investors for their unwavering support in advancing treatments for patients that suffer from substance use disorders. Onwards and upwards!! https://lnkd.in/gigTZ6v3 #ClinicalDevelopment #Biotechnology #PharmaceuticalIndustry #DrugDevelopment