Amgen, a US-based biotechnology company, has spun off some cancer treatments to form a venture-backed company, Atara Biotherapeutics.
Venture capital firm Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers (KPCB) is providing the initial financing and management for Atara, while Amgen will have an equity stake.
Isaac Ciechanover (pictured), a partner at KPCB who joined the venture capital firm in 2010 after working at biotech Celgene, is running Atara, which has agreed to initially license six compounds in pre-clinical to phase I development from Amgen.
Amgen has also licensed potential treatments to US-based Tesaro, another KPCB portfolio company, according to news provider Fierce Biotech.