Westphal

Biography

Dr. Westphal is a co-founder and Partner of Longwood Fund. Dr. Westphal was co-founder, CEO, and lead investor of six biotech companies that have completed IPOs: Momenta (NASDAQ: MNTA), Alnylam (NASDAQ: ALNY), Acceleron (NASDAQ: XLRN), Sirtris (NASDAQ: SIRT; acquired by GSK), Verastem (NASDAQ: VSTM), and Flex (NASDAQ: FLKS). He co-founded two additional companies that completed IPOs: Concert Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: CNCE) and Ovascience (NASDAQ: OVAS). He also cofounded Alnara (acquired by Lilly), and Axial (private). Companies co-founded by Dr. Westphal have developed and received FDA approval for important drugs, including the largest-selling heparin in the US, and a therapy for MS; and several experimental medicines: for cystic fibrosis (phase 3), for currently incurable cancers (phase 3), for serious inflammatory disorders (phase 2), and for serious neurological illnesses such as ALS, MS, and Charcot Marie Tooth (phase 2). In addition, these companies have created substantial shareholder value and aggregate, sustained market capitalizations of over $12 billion. Companies co-founded by Dr. Westphal have created roughly 1,000 good jobs in the Boston area. 

Research Interest

Cystic fibrosis, Incurable Cancers