Ivor Royston
Encyclopedia
Ivor Royston, M.D., is an oncologist, researcher, scientist, entrepreneur
and venture capitalist, recognized for his efforts to develop treatments for multiple disease targets and to fund biotechnology
companies with promising science, technology or medicines.
He speaks regularly at healthcare conferences and symposia throughout the United States
, Europe
and Asia
.
One of Dr. Royston's most significant achievements may be his successful efforts to partner academic medical research with industry to take potential treatments more quickly from the benchtop to the bedside.
After co-founding the first biotechnology company in San Diego, California, he and his associates went on to form or invest in dozens of other biotechs, laying the foundation of the region's thriving biotech cluster, one of the three largest in the United States. As a venture capitalist, Dr. Royston invests in start-up companies that have promising technologies for treating and potentially curing diseases, including various forms of cancer
.
Born in Retford, England
, Dr. Royston emigrated to the United States with his family in 1954 at age 9, and later, as a 14-year-old, he declared that he would devote his life to curing cancer. Unlike many future scientists, his passion also extended to commerce. This early interest in business manifested itself in a Washington, D.C.
, high-school investment club of 16 boys — dubbed the Chessmen — that he founded with friends. He also bought and operated an ice cream truck to earn money for college.
These divergent interests — medicine and business — would one day catapult Dr. Royston beyond his peers, transforming San Diego's economy while improving the health and lives of tens of thousands of patients along the way.
Royston's reasoning was that private enterprise clearly provided the fastest way to get new, life-saving medicines from the research bench top to the patient's bedside. While serving as a researcher and a practicing physician at UCSD, Royston felt the frustration at the long process required to deliver innovative treatments to patients. That frustration fueled his decisive action to work towards eliminating the disconnect between research and clinical application by founding Hybritech with fellow scientist Howard Birndorf
in 1978.
The idea behind Hybritech was to harness monoclonal antibodies
to quickly diagnose and treat diseases. Financier Brook Byers, of Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, realized the importance of the science and recognized the longer-term value of the budding entrepreneurs' passion, energy and commitment. His firm provided the $300,000 start-up funding, and Hybritech's first product, antibodies for the hepatitis B virus, reached the research market in 1980. The PSA test
developed later by the company for the early diagnosis of prostate cancer
has benefited countless victims of this deadly disease and set the stage for new blood tests for the early detection of cancer. Hybritech went public in 1981 and, five years later, pharmaceutical giant Eli Lilly and Company
paid $480 million for the company.
Dr. Royston went on to co-found IDEC Pharmaceuticals (now Biogen Idec
) and the San Diego Regional Cancer Center (now the Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center).
More than 50 San Diego companies trace their lineage directly to Hybritech, its founders and early employees. Among those are IDEC, San Diego's biggest biotech success story, with a billion dollars in sales for its lymphoma treatment Rituxan. Others include Amylin
, Cancervax
, Gen-Probe
, Ligand Pharmaceuticals and Nanogen.
In addition to Hybritech, Dr. Royston has been directly involved in the founding or funding of many biotech companies as an entrepreneur and venture capitalist. These companies include: Applied Molecular Evolution, Avalon Pharmaceuticals, Combichem (acquired by Dupont), Corixa, Dynavax Technologies Corporation, Genesys Therapeutics (merged with Somatix and acquired by Cell Genesys), Genquest (acquired by Corixa), HenaQuest, IDEC Pharmaceuticals (merged with Biogen to form Biogen Idec), LigoCyte, Micromet (formerly CancerVax
), Morphotek (Acquired by Eisai Corporation), Sequana Therapeutics (merged with Arris to form AXYS and acquired by Celera Genomics
), Syndax, Targegen, Triangle Pharmaceuticals (acquired by Gilead
) and Variagenics (merged with Hyseq Pharmaceuticals to form Nuvelo
).
The contributions to medicine that all of the companies Dr. Royston has been involved with are incalculable.
throughout Southern California. In 1987, he and his wife established the Ivor and Colette Carson Royston Advised Fund at the San Diego Foundation to support a variety of healthcare and cultural organizations. The Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center, San Diego Opera
, La Jolla Playhouse
, the Museum of Contemporary Art
, the Jewish Community Center
and Congregation Beth Israel
are among those organizations to benefit from the Roystons' generosity.
In 2002, presented the Ivor and Colette Royston Research Program Award to the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.
, and Gerald Royston of Bethesda, Maryland
.
Entrepreneur
An entrepreneur is an owner or manager of a business enterprise who makes money through risk and initiative.The term was originally a loanword from French and was first defined by the Irish-French economist Richard Cantillon. Entrepreneur in English is a term applied to a person who is willing to...
and venture capitalist, recognized for his efforts to develop treatments for multiple disease targets and to fund biotechnology
Biotechnology
Biotechnology is a field of applied biology that involves the use of living organisms and bioprocesses in engineering, technology, medicine and other fields requiring bioproducts. Biotechnology also utilizes these products for manufacturing purpose...
companies with promising science, technology or medicines.
He speaks regularly at healthcare conferences and symposia throughout the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
and Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
.
One of Dr. Royston's most significant achievements may be his successful efforts to partner academic medical research with industry to take potential treatments more quickly from the benchtop to the bedside.
After co-founding the first biotechnology company in San Diego, California, he and his associates went on to form or invest in dozens of other biotechs, laying the foundation of the region's thriving biotech cluster, one of the three largest in the United States. As a venture capitalist, Dr. Royston invests in start-up companies that have promising technologies for treating and potentially curing diseases, including various forms of cancer
Cancer
Cancer , known medically as a malignant neoplasm, is a large group of different diseases, all involving unregulated cell growth. In cancer, cells divide and grow uncontrollably, forming malignant tumors, and invade nearby parts of the body. The cancer may also spread to more distant parts of the...
.
— Ivor Royston
Born in Retford, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, Dr. Royston emigrated to the United States with his family in 1954 at age 9, and later, as a 14-year-old, he declared that he would devote his life to curing cancer. Unlike many future scientists, his passion also extended to commerce. This early interest in business manifested itself in a Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
, high-school investment club of 16 boys — dubbed the Chessmen — that he founded with friends. He also bought and operated an ice cream truck to earn money for college.
These divergent interests — medicine and business — would one day catapult Dr. Royston beyond his peers, transforming San Diego's economy while improving the health and lives of tens of thousands of patients along the way.
Accomplishments
In 1978 Royston, then an assistant professor at the University of California-San Diego, bridged a chasm between academia and the marketplace, triggering a paradigm shift that forever changed San Diego's medical research community and led to the region's establishment as a leading international biotech clusters.Royston's reasoning was that private enterprise clearly provided the fastest way to get new, life-saving medicines from the research bench top to the patient's bedside. While serving as a researcher and a practicing physician at UCSD, Royston felt the frustration at the long process required to deliver innovative treatments to patients. That frustration fueled his decisive action to work towards eliminating the disconnect between research and clinical application by founding Hybritech with fellow scientist Howard Birndorf
Howard Birndorf
Howard Civian Birndorf is a biotechnology entrepreneur and one of the founders of the biotech industry in San Diego, California. Along with former University of California professor and current venture capitalist Ivor Royston, Birndorf founded San Diego's first biotech in 1978, the monoclonal...
in 1978.
The idea behind Hybritech was to harness monoclonal antibodies
Monoclonal antibodies
Monoclonal antibodies are monospecific antibodies that are the same because they are made by identical immune cells that are all clones of a unique parent cell....
to quickly diagnose and treat diseases. Financier Brook Byers, of Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, realized the importance of the science and recognized the longer-term value of the budding entrepreneurs' passion, energy and commitment. His firm provided the $300,000 start-up funding, and Hybritech's first product, antibodies for the hepatitis B virus, reached the research market in 1980. The PSA test
Prostate specific antigen
Prostate-specific antigen also known as gamma-seminoprotein or kallikrein-3 is a glycoprotein that in humans is encoded by the KLK3 gene. KLK3 is a member of the kallikrein-related peptidase family that are secreted by the epithelial cells of the prostate gland...
developed later by the company for the early diagnosis of prostate cancer
Prostate cancer
Prostate cancer is a form of cancer that develops in the prostate, a gland in the male reproductive system. Most prostate cancers are slow growing; however, there are cases of aggressive prostate cancers. The cancer cells may metastasize from the prostate to other parts of the body, particularly...
has benefited countless victims of this deadly disease and set the stage for new blood tests for the early detection of cancer. Hybritech went public in 1981 and, five years later, pharmaceutical giant Eli Lilly and Company
Eli Lilly and Company
Eli Lilly and Company is a global pharmaceutical company. Eli Lilly's global headquarters is located in Indianapolis, Indiana, in the United States...
paid $480 million for the company.
— Chemical Heritage Newsmagazine
Dr. Royston went on to co-found IDEC Pharmaceuticals (now Biogen Idec
Biogen Idec
Biogen Idec, Inc. is a biotechnology company specializing in drugs for neurological disorders, autoimmune disorders and cancer. The company was formed in 2003 by the merger of Cambridge, Massachusetts-based Biogen Inc. and San Diego, California-based IDEC Pharmaceuticals...
) and the San Diego Regional Cancer Center (now the Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center).
More than 50 San Diego companies trace their lineage directly to Hybritech, its founders and early employees. Among those are IDEC, San Diego's biggest biotech success story, with a billion dollars in sales for its lymphoma treatment Rituxan. Others include Amylin
Amylin
Amylin, or Islet Amyloid Polypeptide , is a 37-residue peptide hormone secreted by pancreatic β-cells at the same time as insulin .-Clinical significance:...
, Cancervax
CancerVax
CancerVax was an American pharmaceutical company founded in 1998 by Donald Morton. The company sought to develop a vaccine for cancer, and had candidates for melanoma reach phase III clinical trials. When those trials proved unsuccessful in 2005, the company soon underwent a reverse takeover with...
, Gen-Probe
Gen-Probe
Gen-Probe is a public biotechnology company based in San Diego, California employing approximately 1,300, and specializing in Clinical Diagnostics, Blood Screening, Transplant Products and Research Products...
, Ligand Pharmaceuticals and Nanogen.
In addition to Hybritech, Dr. Royston has been directly involved in the founding or funding of many biotech companies as an entrepreneur and venture capitalist. These companies include: Applied Molecular Evolution, Avalon Pharmaceuticals, Combichem (acquired by Dupont), Corixa, Dynavax Technologies Corporation, Genesys Therapeutics (merged with Somatix and acquired by Cell Genesys), Genquest (acquired by Corixa), HenaQuest, IDEC Pharmaceuticals (merged with Biogen to form Biogen Idec), LigoCyte, Micromet (formerly CancerVax
CancerVax
CancerVax was an American pharmaceutical company founded in 1998 by Donald Morton. The company sought to develop a vaccine for cancer, and had candidates for melanoma reach phase III clinical trials. When those trials proved unsuccessful in 2005, the company soon underwent a reverse takeover with...
), Morphotek (Acquired by Eisai Corporation), Sequana Therapeutics (merged with Arris to form AXYS and acquired by Celera Genomics
Celera Genomics
Celera Corporation was a business unit of the Applera Corporation, but was spun off in July 2008 to become an independent publicly traded company. In May 2011 Quest Diagnostics Incorporated completed the acquisition of Celera, which thus became a wholly owned subsidiary...
), Syndax, Targegen, Triangle Pharmaceuticals (acquired by Gilead
Gilead
In the Bible "Gilead" means hill of testimony or mound of witness, , a mountainous region east of the Jordan River, situated in the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. It is also referred to by the Aramaic name Yegar-Sahadutha, which carries the same meaning as the Hebrew . From its mountainous character...
) and Variagenics (merged with Hyseq Pharmaceuticals to form Nuvelo
Nuvelo
Nuvelo Inc. was a biopharmaceutical company engaged in the discovery, development and commercialization of drugs for acute cardiovascular disease, cancer and other debilitating medical conditions. On January 27, 2009, the company was acquired by ARCA Biopharma, Inc. in a reverse takeover...
).
The contributions to medicine that all of the companies Dr. Royston has been involved with are incalculable.
— Dr. Daniel Gold
Career milestones
- In 1970, Dr. Royston earned an MD from Johns Hopkins UniversityJohns Hopkins UniversityThe Johns Hopkins University, commonly referred to as Johns Hopkins, JHU, or simply Hopkins, is a private research university based in Baltimore, Maryland, United States...
, after receiving a BA in Human Biology from JHU in 1967. He chose Stanford UniversityStanford UniversityThe Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
for his internship and residency (1970–72) and clinical oncology fellowship (1975–77) in order to study with cancer research luminaries Saul Rosenberg and Henry Kaplan. He is board certified in both Internal Medicine and Medical Oncology. - Dr. Royston served in the Public Health Service at National Institutes of HealthNational Institutes of HealthThe National Institutes of Health are an agency of the United States Department of Health and Human Services and are the primary agency of the United States government responsible for biomedical and health-related research. Its science and engineering counterpart is the National Science Foundation...
from 1972-75 conducting research in virology and immunology. - In 1977, Dr. Royston accepted a position as assistant professor of medicine, Division of Hematology/Oncology, at the University of California-San Diego, where he was instrumental in developing the new UCSD Cancer Center as the director of Clinical Immunology.
- Dr. Royston remained at UCSD until 1990 , earning tenure while continuing his entrepreneurial activities. During those years, he served as the director of UCSD's Cell Surface Marker Laboratory, as director of the Clinical Immunology Program at the UCSD Cancer Center, and as chief of the Oncology Section at the VA Medical Center in San Diego.
- In 1990, Dr. Royston established the San Diego Regional Cancer Center, now known as the Sydney Kimmel Cancer Center (SKCC), with Drs. Tom Shiftan and Alan Goodman. Again Dr. Royston was driven not only to discover cutting-edge cancer therapy, but to speed the process of delivering treatments to patients. Thanks to his leadership and vision, and an affiliation with Sharp HealthCare, SKCC is today recognized as a leading center for translational cancer research.
- During his years at UCSD and the Cancer Center, Dr. Royston made significant contributions as a medical researcher. He was one of the first to use monoclonal antibodies to treat patients with melanomaMelanomaMelanoma is a malignant tumor of melanocytes. Melanocytes are cells that produce the dark pigment, melanin, which is responsible for the color of skin. They predominantly occur in skin, but are also found in other parts of the body, including the bowel and the eye...
, leukemiaLeukemiaLeukemia or leukaemia is a type of cancer of the blood or bone marrow characterized by an abnormal increase of immature white blood cells called "blasts". Leukemia is a broad term covering a spectrum of diseases...
and T cell lymphoma. He developed radio-labeled monoclonal antibodies that came to be known as "magic bullets" for the precise delivery of radiation therapy to cancer cells while minimizing damage to healthy tissue. And he was on the front lines in developing gene therapies for treating cancer. - In 1993, Dr. Royston and Stan Fleming founded Forward Ventures. This new venture capital firm empowered Dr. Royston to apply his extensive scientific and medical knowledge to the founding and funding of companies developing breakthrough medical treatments. Forward Ventures became the largest fund in Southern California focused exclusively on the life sciences.
- In 1996, President Bill ClintonBill ClintonWilliam Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
appointed Dr. Royston to a six-year term on the National Cancer Advisory Board. - As a producer of the Broadway musical Jersey BoysJersey BoysJersey Boys is a jukebox musical with music by Bob Gaudio, lyrics by Bob Crewe and book by Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice. It is a documentary-style musical, based on one of the most successful 1960s rock 'n roll groups, the Four Seasons...
, Dr. Royston won a 2006 Tony awardTony AwardThe Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Theatre, more commonly known as a Tony Award, recognizes achievement in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ceremony in New York City. The awards are given for Broadway...
for best musical.
Philanthropist
Dr. Royston and his family have built a reputation for philanthropyPhilanthropy
Philanthropy etymologically means "the love of humanity"—love in the sense of caring for, nourishing, developing, or enhancing; humanity in the sense of "what it is to be human," or "human potential." In modern practical terms, it is "private initiatives for public good, focusing on quality of...
throughout Southern California. In 1987, he and his wife established the Ivor and Colette Carson Royston Advised Fund at the San Diego Foundation to support a variety of healthcare and cultural organizations. The Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center, San Diego Opera
San Diego Opera
The San Diego Opera Association is a professional opera company located in the city of San Diego, California and is a member of OPERA America. It was founded in 1950 to present productions by San Francisco Opera in the San Diego area...
, La Jolla Playhouse
La Jolla Playhouse
La Jolla Playhouse is a not-for-profit, professional theatre-in-residence on the campus of the University of California, San Diego. -Background:...
, the Museum of Contemporary Art
Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego
The Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego , in San Diego, California, USA, is an art museum focused on the collection, preservation, exhibition, and interpretation of works of art from 1950 to the present.-History:...
, the Jewish Community Center
Jewish Community Center
A Jewish Community Center or Jewish Community Centre is a general recreational, social and fraternal organization serving the Jewish community in a number of cities...
and Congregation Beth Israel
Congregation Beth Israel (San Diego, California)
Congregation Beth Israel is a Reform synagogue located at 9001 Towne Centre Drive in San Diego, California. Formally incorporated in 1887, Beth Israel traces it roots back to 1861. It is San Diego's largest and oldest Jewish congregation.-History:...
are among those organizations to benefit from the Roystons' generosity.
In 2002, presented the Ivor and Colette Royston Research Program Award to the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.
Personal
Dr. Royston is married to Colette and they have two children. Dr. Royston has two brothers, Elliot Royston of Atlanta, GeorgiaAtlanta, Georgia
Atlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in...
, and Gerald Royston of Bethesda, Maryland
Bethesda, Maryland
Bethesda is a census designated place in southern Montgomery County, Maryland, United States, just northwest of Washington, D.C. It takes its name from a local church, the Bethesda Meeting House , which in turn took its name from Jerusalem's Pool of Bethesda...
.
Awards
- David and Dorothea Garfield Human Relations Award, American Jewish Committee, San Diego Chapter, 2003
- Scientist of the Year, Achievement Rewards for College Scientists Foundation, 2006
- Entrepreneur Hall of Fame, CONNECT, 2006
- Tony Award. The American Theatre Wing, 2006
- Visionary Award, LEAD San Diego, 2008