SAN DIEGO – Vividion Therapeutics, a company that was acquired for $1.5 billion and $500 million in biobucks three years ago by Bayer, is expanding its local presence with a brand-new headquarters and research and development (R&D) center.
President & CEO
Vividion Therapeutics
Aleksandra Rizo, chief executive officer at Vividion, said the new facility will support the development of Vividion’s global discovery and clinical portfolio. It will also pave the way for future programs aimed at bringing first-in-class therapeutics to patients in need.
“Our new R&D center and headquarters will provide the infrastructure to execute our strategic vision and continue to lead the way in applying chemoproteomics and covalent chemistry to create first-in-class medicines for patients in need,” said Rizo, who stepped up as Vividion’s top executive and joined the board of directors at the beginning of 2023.
New HQ Fosters Innovation
More than half of the expansion will be dedicated to state-of-the-art research labs where Vividion will continue advancing its expansive portfolio of clinical and preclinical programs as well as future programs that emerge from the company’s discovery efforts.
The new facility will support the continued development of Vividion’s R&D capabilities, including a significant increase in the company’s chemoproteomics screening capacity.
The new facility will accommodate strategic growth capabilities and enable the company to continue to attract and retain top life sciences experts in San Diego, a rapidly growing hub for biotech innovation.
President, Pharmaceuticals
Bayer
Stefan Oelrich, President of Pharmaceuticals at Bayer and member of the board of management of Bayer AG, said Vividion is a key component of Bayer’s innovation strategy and its focus on bringing first-in-class medicines to market to address longstanding unmet medical needs.
“This new facility will support our strategic growth opportunities to enable the company to capitalize on the rich array of drug discovery and clinical development opportunities afforded by its pioneering chemoproteomics platform,” Oelrich said.
Beginning Next Chapter
Vividion Therapeutics is primarily focused on developing chemical tools that target disease-causing proteins that have proved resistant to drugs.
It’s working to identify new therapies to fight devastating diseases and illnesses, such as cancer and autoimmune disorders. It seeks to “drug the undruggable,” according to Vividion’s leadership team.
In particular, the company works to find treatments to extend and enhance the lives of people suffering from those ailments.
Rizo, who joined Vividion in 2022 as head of research and development before taking the top role a year later, noted that the company needed a new space that fostered a dynamic and supportive environment.
“We’re looking forward to continuing and building on that tradition in our new state-of-the-art home,” said Rizo. “Vividion has entered an exciting new stage in the company’s development, with multiple programs in clinical trials, a rich discovery portfolio and expansive platform screening efforts focused on bringing more previously undrugged disease-causing targets within the reach of small molecule therapeutics.”
Acquired for $2B in 2021
Vividion Therapeutics was launched in 2014 as a spin-off of the Scripps Research Institute. The co-founders include Benjamin Cravatt, Phil Baran, and Jin-Quan Yu, all who worked at Scripps as scientists.
Chairman
Vividion Therapeutics
In 2020, the company recruited a proven industry leader Jeffrey Hatfield as chief executive officer, who was tasked with helping scale the company to its full potential and commercialize Vividion’s discovery platform.
In September 2021, Vividion made headlines after German pharmaceutical giant Bayer offered purchased biotech company, under Hatfield’s leadership.
The deal included $2 billion in up-front and milestone payments with virtually no change to its operations, which it accepted.
Since the acquisition, the company’s staff, which includes some of the brightest minds in science, chemistry and biology, has more than 200 employees.
Vividion’s was formerly headquartered in Sorrento Valley.
Vividion Therapeutics
FOUNDED: 2013
CEO: Aleksandra Rizo
Headquarters: Sorrento Mesa
Employees: 200+
Business: Developing drugs to treat cancer and immune disorders.
Website: www.vividion.com
Notable: Vividion was acquired by Bayer for $2Bin 2021.
