The axolotl, which can regenerate many of its body parts, was the inspiration for Walking Fish Therapeutics Inc., which just closed on a $50 million series A financing to advance its B-cell therapies for oncology, rare disease, regenerative medicine, autoimmune disease and recombinant antibody production.
Replicate Bioscience Inc. secured a $40 million series A round to take a portfolio of preclinical projects employing self-replicating RNA into the clinic.
Centaur Diagnostics Inc. herded up interest in its gamified system for labeling medical data for use in artificial intelligence (AI) applications. The Boston-based company raised $12 million in a series A round that will help Centaur build out its crowdsourced system for labeling medical images, videos, text and audio recordings. The round brings the company’s funds raised to date to $15 million. Matrix Partners led the charge along with Accel Partners, Global Founders Capital, Susa Ventures, and Y Combinator.
Ventura Capital has led a $60 million series A investment round into consumer genetic testing company Dnanudge Ltd. It is the first major fundraising round for the London-based company, which will be used to accelerate deployment of its DNA testing service worldwide. Dnanudge is aiming to tap into the lucrative consumer DNA testing market with Dnaband, a wearable device that stores digital DNA and helps users make healthier choices by personalizing shopping behaviors. The company is also planning a service for personalized skincare shopping.
Hebecell Corp. closed on a $53 million series A funding to continue advancing its off-the-shelf pluripotent stem cell CAR-natural killer cell (PSC-CAR-NK) therapy program into the clinic. Allen Feng, Hebecell’s chief scientific officer, has worked in stem cell development for more than 16 years. He’s seen a lot of technological change, especially in the past two years. Everyone is using the same technology, he said, but added that Hebecell’s technology is different from anyone else’s. It’s much simpler technology and has “very good potential” to move into large-scale industrial production.
LONDON – A significant body of research indicates inhibition of the mitochondrial permeability transition pore (PTP) would reduce neuroinflammation and protect neurons, but the difficulty of finding inhibitors that cross the blood-brain barrier to regulate the pore has left the therapeutic potential largely untapped.
Atavistik Bio Inc. has raised $60 million in a series A financing round to advance its preclinical molecules targeting genetically validated targets in metabolic diseases and cancer.
Opya Inc., a provider of integrated autism services, secured $15.4 million in a series A fundraising round. New investors in the round included Panoramic Ventures, Softbank’s Opportunity Fund, Disability Opportunity Fund, and Raven One Ventures. Divergent Investments and Altitude Ventures added to their existing investments in the company.
Medcura Inc. has secured $7.4 million in series A equity financing to grow its line of hemostatic and wound treatment products. Part of the proceeds from the investment will go toward further developing the company’s lead surgical candidate, Lifegel, and advancing it to clinical trials.
Gentibio Inc. has raised $157 million to develop its engineered regulatory T cells (Tregs), setting itself a target to cure type 1 diabetes and treat other diseases caused by the immune system. Boston-based Gentibio launched in August last year with $20 million seed funding from Orbimed, Novartis Venture Fund and RA Capital. Those investors stayed on into the next round, which was led by Matrix Capital Management with participation by Avidity Partners and JDRF T1D Fund.
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