Xilis Company Profile

Background

Founded in 2019 and headquartered in Durham, North Carolina, Xilis, Inc. is a biotechnology company specializing in precision oncology. The company's mission is to transform cancer care by providing rapid therapeutic profiling, enabling personalized precision oncology, and accelerating drug discovery and development. Xilis leverages its proprietary MicroOrganoSphere™ (MOS™) technology to create miniature patient-derived tumors that replicate the native tumor microenvironment, facilitating accurate predictions of therapeutic responses.

Key Strategic Focus

Xilis focuses on advancing precision medicine through its MOS™ technology, which enables:

• Precision Oncology Platform: Assisting clinicians in making timely treatment decisions by predicting patient responses to various therapies.

• Drug Discovery and Development: Providing pharmaceutical companies with a scalable platform for high-throughput drug candidate screening, preclinical assessments, and personalized assays to determine patient eligibility for clinical trials.

Financials and Funding

Xilis has successfully secured significant funding to support its initiatives:

• Series A Financing: In July 2021, the company raised $70 million in a Series A round led by Mubadala Capital, with participation from GV (formerly Google Ventures), LSP, Catalio Capital Management, and Duke Angel Network.

• Series A Extension: In July 2022, Xilis announced an extension of over $19 million to its Series A financing, bringing the total raised to over $89 million. This extension was led by FPV Ventures, with participation from Alexandria Venture Investments and existing investors.

The funds are allocated to advance the MOS™ platform, expand AI-driven capabilities, conduct clinical studies, and validate the technology with biopharmaceutical partners.

Technological Platform and Innovation

Xilis' proprietary MOS™ technology stands out in the biotechnology industry:

• MicroOrganoSphere™ (MOS™) Technology: Creates miniature patient-derived tumors that capture the full microenvironment and heterogeneity of the original tumor. This allows for rapid and accurate assessment of therapeutic responses.

• AI-Driven Algorithms: Utilized to develop the Xilis Response Score™, enabling oncologists to make informed and timely treatment decisions based on predictive analytics.

Leadership Team

Xilis is led by a team of distinguished professionals:

• Dr. Xiling Shen: Founder and Chief Executive Officer. An engineer with a strong track record of innovation at the intersection of biology and engineering, Dr. Shen has held multiple academic appointments, including at Duke University.

• Dr. David Hsu: Co-founder and Chief Medical Officer. An oncologist and medical professor at Duke University, Dr. Hsu is an expert in precision medicine.

• Dr. Hans Clevers: Co-founder. A Breakthrough Prize winner and pioneer of organoid technology, Dr. Clevers is a principal investigator at the Hubrecht Institute in the Netherlands.

In December 2022, Xilis announced the formation of its Scientific Advisory Board, chaired by Dr. Mike Varney, former Executive Vice President and Head of Genentech Research and Early Development. The board includes Nobel Laureate Dr. James Allison, Dr. Padmanee Sharma, and Dr. David Tuveson, all renowned experts in oncology and immunology.

Competitor Profile

Xilis operates in a competitive landscape with several notable companies:

• AUM Biosciences: Specializes in the development of precision medicine and drug discovery technologies.

• Strata Oncology: Focuses on precision oncology, offering comprehensive genomic profiling to match patients with targeted therapies.

• Revitope Oncology: Develops novel immunotherapies for cancer treatment.

• Bcn Biosciences: Engages in drug discovery and development, particularly in oncology.

These companies, like Xilis, are dedicated to advancing precision medicine and improving cancer treatment outcomes.

Strategic Collaborations and Partnerships

Xilis has established significant collaborations to enhance its technological capabilities and market reach:

• MD Anderson Cancer Center: In February 2023, Xilis announced a strategic collaboration with The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center to deploy the MOS™ technology in preclinical research, aiming to accelerate the development of novel cancer therapies.

• Oncode-PACT Consortium: Xilis joined this Netherlands-based consortium to accelerate the development of cancer drugs, leveraging its MOS™ platform to support translational research.

Operational Insights

Xilis differentiates itself through its innovative MOS™ technology, which offers a scalable and rapid solution for precision oncology. By enabling high-throughput drug screening and accurate prediction of patient responses, Xilis provides a competitive advantage in both clinical and pharmaceutical sectors. The company's strategic collaborations further strengthen its position in the market, facilitating the development and validation of its platform.

Strategic Opportunities and Future Directions

Looking ahead, Xilis aims to:

• Expand Clinical Applications: Broaden the use of the MOS™ platform across various cancer types to enhance personalized treatment strategies.

• Enhance AI Capabilities: Further develop AI-driven algorithms to improve predictive analytics and treatment recommendations.

• Strengthen Biopharmaceutical Partnerships: Continue collaborating with pharmaceutical companies to validate and integrate the MOS™ technology into drug discovery and development processes.