DUBLIN – Versant Ventures, the founding investor of Crispr Therapeutics AG, is teaming up with one of the academic founders of that company, Stanford University’s Matt Porteus, to start a new gene editing firm, Graphite Bio Inc., which is focused on targeted integration of DNA to achieve a therapeutic benefit.
Advanced diagnostics startup Coremap Inc., which is developing a technology capable of identifying the drivers of atrial fibrillation (AF), scooped up $10.5 million in a series A financing led by Qure Ventures. The funds will be used to accelerate product development and future regulatory submissions. Founded in 2016, the Burlington, Vt.-based company has raised nearly $12 million to date.
Favorable conditions in China encouraged biotech veterans Jerry Wang, Bing Yan and Lihua Zheng to co-found Anheart Therapeutics Co. Ltd. in November 2018 to focus on oncology. On Monday, the Chinese startup in-licensed a mIDH-1 inhibitor and an AXL inhibitor from Daiichi Sankyo Co. Ltd. to expand its pipeline, less than two years after it obtained the global rights of its first asset, AB-106 (taletrectinib), from the Japanese firm to establish its footing.
LONDON – Neogene Therapeutics BV has raised $110 million in a series A round to advance development of a novel T-cell immunotherapy for treating solid tumors.
Oncomfort SA finalized a €10 million (US$11.8 million) series A fundraising round to further develop its Digital Sedation product and pursue international expansion. Debiopharm and Crédit Mutuel Innovation led the round with participation from Wallonia Innovation and Growth and previous investors.
Nessan Bermingham, Korro Bio Inc.’s co-founder and executive chair, told BioWorld that other groups are looking into adenosine deaminase acting on RNA (ADAR) – the body’s natural base editing system – but “we’re the first group, as far as I’m aware” to raise big money and bring together what could become the best technology for developing drugs based on an understanding of ADAR.
DUBLIN – Mina Therapeutics Ltd. raised £23 million (US$29.9 million) in a series A round to take forward a pipeline and a platform based on a novel regulatory RNA species, small activating RNAs, which selectively activate gene expression.
Favorable conditions in China encouraged biotech veterans Jerry Wang, Bing Yan and Lihua Zheng to co-found Anheart Therapeutics Co. Ltd. in November 2018 to focus on oncology. On Monday, the Chinese startup in-licensed a mIDH-1 inhibitor and an AXL inhibitor from Daiichi Sankyo Co. Ltd. to expand its pipeline, less than two years after it obtained the global rights of its first asset, AB-106 (taletrectinib), from the Japanese firm to establish its footing.
HONG KONG – Xuanzhu (Shijiazhuang) Biopharmaceutical Co. Ltd., Beijing-based Sihuan Pharmaceutical Holdings Group Ltd.’s innovative drug R&D platform, has secured ¥800 million (US$117.2 million) in series A funding from the State Development and Investment Corp. (SDIC). CMG-SDIC Capital Co. Ltd. (CMG-SDIC) invested the entire ¥800 million, giving SDIC an 18.6% equity interest in the platform, a company spokesperson told BioWorld.
Photonicare Inc., which has developed the Tomi Scope for noninvasive imaging of the middle ear, has attracted the attention of investors. It has reported an oversubscribed $5.2 million series A financing led by I2e Management Co. Inc., with OSF Ventures, Sony Innovation Fund and Dreampact Ventures also participating.