Newco Avidicure NV arrived on the scene with a hefty $50 million in seed funding to advance novel antibody formats the company says will surpass the best qualities of first-generation antibodies, checkpoint inhibitors, T-cell engagers and antibody-drug conjugates.

Nuevocor Pte. Ltd. has closed a $45 million series B, enabling it to move lead gene therapy NVC-001 into the clinic in the treatment of an inherited form of cardiomyopathy.

Armatus Bio Inc.’s development of ARM-201, an AAV-delivered microRNA therapy for facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy (FSHD), has been boosted by a $3 million investment by Solve FSHD.

Synthetic Design Lab Inc., which emerged from stealth with a $20 million seed round and a platform technology aimed at advancing the antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) space, began with its founders identifying a single clear goal: how to deliver more payload to a target cancer cell.

Avidicure BV has launched with a $50 million seed financing round and a focus on developing dual agonistic, multifunctional and avidity engineered antibodies, or AVC-Boosters, to deliver targeted and potent cancer monotherapy.

Grove Biopharma Inc., a spinout from Northwestern University targeting intracellular protein-protein interactions with a novel synthetic biology-based approach, has closed a $30 million series A financing. Proceeds will be used to further advance Grove Biopharma’s Bionic Biologics platform and drive its lead oncology programs toward the clinic.

When an autoimmune disease disrupted the life of someone close to scientist Dario Gutierrez, an idea emerged for a new company called Merida Biosciences focused on removing misdirected antibodies and their negative effects using Fc biotherapeutics.

As it prepares to advance its lead RNA editing candidate, AIR-001, into a phase I/II trial for alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency, Airna Corp. Inc. closed an oversubscribed $155 million series B financing less than a year after completing its series A round. The company, based in Cambridge, Mass., with research operations in Tübingen, Germany, focuses not only on repairing harmful genetic variants found in rare genetic disorders, but also on introducing beneficial variants that improve health in common conditions.

Tribune Therapeutics AB has raised €37 million (US$40 million) in seed and series A funding to advance a portfolio of therapies targeting central drivers of scar tissue formation.

Epicrispr Biotechnologies Inc. has secured $68 million in the first close of its series B financing to support the clinical development of EPI-321, a first-in-class epigenetic therapy for facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy (FSHD).