New nonprofit endeavor will focus on accelerating promising therapies that would otherwise be overlooked by traditional biotech funders
New York City, New York, August 7, 2025 – Advancium Health Network, Inc. (“Advancium”) announces the launch of CobiCure Therapeutics, a division of Advancium’s pediatrics-focused nonprofit company, CobiCure.
Committed to accelerating the development of urgently needed therapies for children with cancer and rare diseases, CobiCure Therapeutics will build its pipeline through The Maxine and Stuart Frankel Accelerator, a collaborative drug development initiative. Recently established with a $10 million gift from The Maxine and Stuart Frankel Foundation, the accelerator aims to in-license, acquire, or co-develop promising programs that might otherwise be overlooked for financial reasons.
“CobiCure Therapeutics represents a new chapter in pediatric drug development – one where urgency, impact, and scientific excellence converge to deliver breakthrough therapies to patients who need them most,” said Dr. Samuel C. Blackman, co-founder of Day One Biopharmaceuticals, Entrepreneur in Residence at Google Ventures, and strategic advisor to Advancium.
This launch builds on the momentum of a November 2024 roundtable, “Bridging the Gap: Advancing New Pediatric Cancer Treatments,” co-hosted by CobiCure and The Mark Foundation for Cancer Research. The event convened leading voices across academia, industry, and the nonprofit sector to confront one of medicine’s most urgent and under-addressed challenges: how to get promising therapies to children faster.
“We gained invaluable insight from researchers, clinicians, and drug developers deeply committed to improving the lives of children with severe and life-threatening illnesses,” said Michele Cleary, President & Chief Scientific Officer of Advancium Health Network. “Their perspectives underscored a sobering truth: current incentives for healthcare innovation consistently overlook the youngest and most vulnerable patients. CobiCure Therapeutics stands apart because it is purpose-built to confront the barriers to delivering life-saving treatments to children.”
A New Blueprint for Pediatric Therapeutics
CobiCure Therapeutics will focus on sourcing and advancing high-potential therapies through strategic acquisition, development, and collaboration. These programs will be supported by philanthropic contributions and other funding sources. CobiCure’s business model includes:
• In-licensing, acquiring, or co-developing promising therapeutic assets
• Accelerating development through early clinical trials and regulatory milestones, with a focus on cost efficiency and urgency
• Partnering with world-class scientists, clinicians, and children’s research hospitals as well as funders and advocates to combine top-tier expertise with mission alignment
• Building and sustaining a portfolio of future cures for children
Changing the Equation for Children with Rare Diseases
"Traditional biotech models rarely serve children with rare diseases, largely because the markets are small, the regulatory pathways are complex, and the financial incentives are limited. That’s exactly why CobiCure Therapeutics was created,” said Mark Veich, CEO of Advancium. “We’re not trying to fit pediatric innovation into a system that wasn’t built for it, we’re building a new model from the ground up. By combining philanthropic funding, strategic partnerships, and a dedicated focus on pediatrics, we’re uniquely positioned to develop the devices and therapeutics these children urgently need. No one else is doing it quite like this!”
About Advancium Health Network
Advancium Health Network is a mission-driven public charity pioneering ways to overcome barriers in healthcare through a unique model that combines for-profit infrastructure with non-profit ideals. Advancium forges bonds between a diverse body of industry partners, experts, and philanthropic support to leverage its collective expertise and resources toward developing pediatric medical devices and drug therapies. We are confronting healthcare’s most daunting hurdles for underserved patients and catalyzing a positive impact on human health.
For more information on how the Advancium Health Network is enabling transformative impact visit www.advanciumhealth.org.
About CobiCure
CobiCure, a non-profit company of Advancium Health Network, is committed to addressing critical gaps in pediatric healthcare by accelerating the development of innovative medical devices and treatments for rare childhood diseases. Leveraging Deerfield Management’s healthcare and life science innovation ecosystem — alongside philanthropic resources and expertise from a broad network of partners — CobiCure prioritizes life-saving solutions over traditional profit-driven goals.
For more information on how CobiCure is reimagining the therapeutic landscape, visit www.cobicuretherapeutics.org.
Media Contact:
Jyoti Patel
Director of Marketing & Operations
jyotip@advanciumhealth.org
646.771.0699
