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By the Numbers
Amount in fund at 6/30/2014:
$989 million
Change from 12/31/2013:
15%
Number of positions:
28
Three largest holdings:
Achillion Pharmaceuticals, Acadia Pharmaceuticals, Dyax
Three new positions:
Versartis, Akebia Therapeutics, Synexis
Three closed positions:
Gilead Sciences, Prothena, PTC Therapeutics
[Image omitted] - About the fund: If there's any life sciences hedge fund manager devoted to the scientific fundamentals of the sector, it's RA Capital's Peter Kolchinsky. He co-founded the firm in 2001 with Rich Aldrich, a founding employee of Vertex ($VRTX) who was its senior vice president and chief business officer from 1989 to 2001. Aldrich brought to the table his business acumen and seed financing of $4 million, while Kolchinsky was fresh out of Harvard with a Ph.D. in virology.
That's according to an Xconomy profile of Kolchinsky from 2008. Aldrich eventually moved on to co-found healthcare venture capital firm Longwood with former Sirtris execs Christoph Westphal and Michelle Dipp, one of 2012's Top Women in Biotech (http://www.fiercebiotech.com/special-reports/10-top-women-biotech-2012) .
Peter Kolchinsky
Most life sciences fund managers have a staff full of analysts who are Ph.D.s or M.D.s, but...