Having banked almost $775 million since its inception in 2019, Eikon Therapeutics Inc. closed three transactions to beef up its pipeline and raised nearly $106 million in a series C round. And the dealmaking will continue, said Alfred Bowie, chief financial officer. “We still have well over a half-billion in cash on our balance sheet,” he told BioWorld. “We’re active.” The new funds “add more fuel to the fire,” and let the company “make sure we aren’t cannibalizing some of the funding we’ve raised to help push forward the internal pipeline,” which is “advancing very nicely.”
Boundless Bio Inc. raised $100 million in a series C round to continue its highly distinctive approach to cancer therapy, which is based on disrupting the functioning of highly amplified oncogenic extrachromosomal DNA fragments.
Alentis Therapeutics SA has closed a $105 million series C round which will fund simultaneous phase II and phase Ib trials of anti-Claudin-1 antibodies in the treatment of organ fibrosis and phase I development in fibrosis-associated cancers. At the same time, the company will extend the reach of its Claudin-1 biology into antibody-drug conjugates and bispecific constructs, to further exploit the role of the transmembrane protein in maintaining cellular integrity and controlling cell-to-cell signaling.
New drug technology may soon deliver a breakthrough to eliminate internal bleeding caused by drug overuse. Shaanxi Micot Technology Co. Ltd.’s MT-1011 is a synthetic water-soluble small-molecule anticoagulant antagonist. After a single intravenous dose, it can bind directly to other anticoagulants to stop anticoagulant effects and restore the clotting function. Data from clinical trials support its mechanism.
Iaso Biotherapeutics Inc. raised ¥500 million (US$75 million) in a series C1 round as looks for its first drug approval by China after its NDA was accepted for what is claimed to be the first B-cell maturation antigen-targeting CAR T-cell therapy in China.
Raynovent Biotech Co. Ltd. has raised ¥370 million (US$54 million) in a series C round to further develop candidates in the field of respiratory and metabolic diseases. Funds will be used to accelerate clinical trials of lead candidates in its pipeline, as well as to prepare for the commercialization of oral pills to treat COVID-19 and influenza A virus.
Hightide Therapeutics Inc. closed a $107 million series C round that will advance multiple global development programs for lead candidate HTD-1801, including a phase III trial in type 2 diabetes.
Catalym GmbH raised €50 million (US$51.3 million) in a series C round to expand and accelerate phase IIa development of visugromab (CTL-002), a first-in-class growth differentiation factor 15 inhibitor, across a range of solid tumor indications.
Momentum is building at Jnana Therapeutics Inc. The firm has raised $107 million in a series C round and banked another $50 million up front from a new drug discovery and development pact with Roche Holding AG, which could potentially deliver significant near-term milestones and more than $2 billion in future milestone payments. It also commenced recruitment onto a first-in-human study of its lead drug candidate, JNT-517, an inhibitor of the phenylalanine transporter SLC6A19, which is in development for phenylketonuria.
Maxinovel Pharmaceuticals Inc. raised ¥100 million ($13.8 million) in a series C+ round to develop its candidates for acute myeloid leukemia, solid tumors, and autoimmune diseases.