By Dr. Robert Ang, President & CEO
As we approach the end of 2023, I took some time to reflect on what we’ve achieved this year at Vor Bio. I recently shared my thoughts with our incredible team of Voracians and I am proud to share that letter here:
Dear all,
Wow, what an action-packed year for Vor. This time last year we were gathering data from our very first treated patient. We are ending the year with multiple game-changing data sets including definitive demonstration of engraftment and heme protection for a first-in-human genome-engineered drug product, recognized by multiple oral presentations at ASH. We are changing the field with world-leading research in cell biology, genome engineering, target discovery, and immunotherapies. We are providing new hope for patients with very few treatment options for a devastating disease. Let that sink in for a second. The amount of truly good work we have accomplished in the last twelve months is astonishing.
Vor has achieved this in what has been the worst biotech market in recent history. This has been hard to ignore since this has been part and parcel of the entire financial downturn – though biotech has been disproportionately affected and, within biotech, cell and gene therapy even more so. This is such a stark contrast from just a couple of years ago when capital was (too) plentiful and promise alone was sufficient. Not so today. These financial pressures have brought much needed discipline to our industry, where we need an intimate understanding of how every dollar helps generate data that directly demonstrates potential towards transformative patient outcomes. Sexy technology platforms are not sufficient. We need to keep driving towards medicines that could change the world.
With this context in mind, we have so much to be thankful for at Vor. We are fortunate to be well funded by investors who believe in our vision.
We have generated an amazing scientific platform that is now in the clinic, lining up towards 2024 where we could demonstrate the ability for our medicines to change the lives of patients, and has the potential to make even more medicines that could broaden and deepen our impact.
And we have diligently maintained a company culture which – in my super biased opinion – allows us to attract and retain the best people in industry, all driven by our core values of Passion, Fellowship, and Humility.
So rather than just be thankful this holiday season, I encourage Voracians to act on this. Let’s find tangible ways to help those around us, with a particular focus on others in the biotech industry who may be looking for a new home or are just struggling in this tough environment. Check in with folks, see how they are doing, help out with your industry connections, and leverage the Vor network to help. This is how we exercise Humility, when we can use our privileged position to help those around us in need.
Wishing you all a safe, warm, and joyful holiday season.
Robert