Ocular gene therapy firm Sparingvision SA raised €75 million (US$75 million) in a series B round to fund its transition to clinical development. The company is about to move its lead program, the mutation-agnostic gene therapy SPVN-06, into a phase I trial in retinitis pigmentosa (RP). “We are in the middle of the regulatory submission process,” CEO Stéphane Boissel told BioWorld.
Chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapies and mRNA-based vaccines represent two of the most significant new modalities to gain regulatory approval in the past decade. Capstan Therapeutics Inc. has emerged from stealth with bold ambitions to combine these two approaches in mRNA-programmed cell therapies that will be generated in vivo from patients’ endogenous cells. It has so far secured $165 million in equity funding to pursue that vision.
Biopharmas raising money in public or private financings, including: Akero, Benitec, Edgewise, Elicio, Inmed, Larimar, Novome, Point, Sarepta, Umecrine.
Leadinno Medical Valley Co. Ltd. reported it has raised more than ¥100 million (US$14.5 million) in a series A round for the development of its implantable electrical neurostimulation devices.
Pharmaxis Ltd. has found new funding to breathe life into a drug that looked like it might sit on the shelf for a while, but now appears to be a good candidate for tackling Parkinson’s and other neurodegenerative diseases.
Rayzebio Inc. raised $160 million in a series D round and unveiled its lead targeted radiopharmaceutical drug candidate, RYZ-101, which has entered clinical development in patients with gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine tumors expressing the somatostatin receptor type 2.
Melbourne-based Occurx Pty Ltd. announced a AU$16 million (US$11 million) series B round that will progress lead candidate OCX-063 to phase II trials in chronic kidney disease. The capital raise was jointly led by Brandon Biocatalyst and Uniseed and includes a AU$1.5 million grant from Australian biomedical incubator Cureator.
Shanghai Junshi Biosciences Co. Ltd. plans to raise up to ¥3.969 billion (US$570 million) by issuing no more than 70 million A shares to target subscribers on the Shanghai STAR Market.