Brian K. Halak

Research

Brian K. Halak, Practice Professor in Bioengineering (BE), joined the Medical Excellence Capital (MEC) in 2021 as Managing Partner and member of the firm’s founding team. MEC is an early-stage venture capital firm dedicated to creating, investing into, and building life sciences companies that will make a positive impact on human health. Since MEC’s launch, Halak has led investments into companies such as Immunitas Therapeutics (developing novel drugs for cancer and autoimmunity), Avilar Therapeutics (designing drugs that are able to degrade unwanted extracellular proteins), and Sonothera (pioneering a novel technology to precisely deliver genetic medicines). As part of Domain Associates since 2001, and a Partner since 2006, he has invested in over a dozen companies, several of which he helped create. Halak and partner, Eckard Weber, licensed assets from a Japanese pharmaceutical company to create Tobira Therapeutics, which was eventually acquired by Allergan in 2016, for up to $1.7 billion. Halak also established and directed Domain’s prior initiatives in China including its collaboration with Beijing Elite to create new medical device companies in China based on technology licensed from US and European markets. One such company, Elite Neurovascular, was successfully sold to Terumo Corporation in 2017. Additionally, Halak joined with two scientific founders at Johns Hopkins University to create WindMIL Therapeutics, which is developing a novel cell therapy to treat a variety of cancers. Brian served as President and CEO of WindMIL from 2015 to early 2019, during which time he raised $43.5MM in two rounds of financing. Most recently, Halak formed Nobias Therapeutics alongside co-founders from Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia to develop drugs to treat rare pediatric disease. Other investments where Halak has served on the Board of Directors include: Esprit Pharma (acquired by Allergan), Dicerna Therapeutics (Nasdaq: DRNA), Alimera Sciences (Nasdaq: ALIM), and Vanda Pharmaceuticals (Nasdaq: VNDA). 

Halak remains involved as a Partner managing all existing Domain funds. Prior to Domain, Halak was an associate with Advanced Technology Ventures where he participated in the firm’s investments in Plexxikon, Percardia and Emphasys. Previously, he was a consultant at the Wilkerson Group, where he developed strategies for pharmaceutical and medical device companies.