Broad Scientists Launch Biotech

Three scientists from the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard University—Stuart L. Schreiber, Todd R. Golub, and Michael A. Foley—have joined forces to launch Forma Therapeutics, a drug firm focused on discovering drugs that act against challenging cancer targets. Cambridge, Mass.-based Forma will employ a cell-based screening platform to identify targets and will then apply structure-based drug discovery methods to design and optimize molecules to interact with those targets. The start-up has received $25 million in funding from the Novartis Option Fund, the investment arm of the Swiss drug giant, and Bio*One Capital, of Singapore.