Be Biopharma Inc. is looking to develop engineered B cells to treat a wide range of diseases. The new category of cellular medicine is based on the work of David Rawlings and Richard James, researchers at Seattle Children’s Research Institute and the University of Washington.
Aavantibio Inc., with the help of a large check from Sarepta Therapeutics Inc., has launched with a $107 million series A to pursue gene therapies for treating rare genetic diseases. The lead program is in Friedreich’s ataxia (FA), a rare genetic disease that typically begins in childhood and causes progressive damage to the nervous system.
Dren Bio Inc. has closed on a $60 million series A to push its two lead programs through early clinical development. The company’s DR-01 is an antibody-based therapy for treating rare leukemias, lymphomas and specific phenotypes of autoimmune disorders. The company said it is initially targeting neglected hematology-oncology indications.
Rayzebio Inc. raised $45 million in a series A round to build a platform company focused on developing targeted radiopharmaceuticals for solid tumor indications.
DUBLIN – The cash spigot is still turned on, as two more European firms disclosed series A rounds on Oct. 13. Chord Therapeutics SA took in €16 million (US$18.8 million) to repurpose cladribine for rare autoimmune disorders. Rappta Therapeutics Oy raised €9 million to take forward a novel concept in cancer, focused on developing small-molecule activators of protein phosphatase 2A (PP2A).
DUBLIN – Priothera Ltd. closed a €30 million (US$35.4 million) series A round to shepherd an oral sphingosine 1 phosphate (S1P) receptor agonist through clinical development in patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) who are undergoing allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT).
PERTH, Australia – Epi-Minder Pty. Ltd. has completed an oversubscribed series A round of AU$18 million (US$12.89 million) that will see its Minder epilepsy monitoring device enter a pivotal trial to support marketing applications in Europe and the U.S. The smartphone-enabled device promises to improve on wearables and other tools – such as patient diaries – that have proven to be unreliable.
HONG KONG – Shanghai-based Bioshin Ltd., the Asia-Pacific arm of New Haven, Conn.-based Biohaven Pharmaceutical Holding Co. Ltd., has added $60 million to its war chest via a series A investment.
Federation Bio Inc., which just closed a $50 million series A, had enough preclinical data in engineering bacteria to drive the immune system up or down that it actually could have become two separate companies, its new CEO told BioWorld.
Scribe Therapeutics Inc., another CRISPR-based genome editing firm out of the Jennifer Doudna stable, launched with $20 million in series A funding and a deal with Biogen Inc. in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), which brings in another $15 million up front and up to $400 million in development and commercial milestones.
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