A daily newsletter summarizing recent activity & interesting startups globally
RECENT NOTABLE ACTIVITY – BIOPHARMA
- GSK, Roche, Novo back Immuno-Oncology startup Tioma Therapeutics in $86M Series A. Link
- Roche, Eleven Bio ink $270M exclusive licensing deal. Link
- Sorrento’s subsidiary Scintilla Pharma snapped up Semnur for $200M. Link
- Protagonist raises $90M IPO as it upsizes offering. Link
- Allergan pays $95M for ForSight VISION5, eye insert for glaucoma. Link
- Genmab scores $277M DuoBody technology tie-up with Gilead. Link
- AstraZeneca bets another $140M on Moderna’s messenger drugs. Link
- GSK inks money-back guarantee on $665K Strimvelis, blazing a trail for gene-therapy pricing. Link
- Amgen does preclinical I/O tie-up with small cap Advaxis for up to $540M, stock jumps 28%. Link
- Pfizer acquires gene therapy company Bamboo Therapeutics for $150M upfront, and up to an additional $495M in milestone payments. Link
SOME INTERESTING STARTUPS FOUND
LEADER BOARD – BIOPHARMA
Immunotherapy
Juno Therapeutics (2013, Seattle, IPO) – Immunotherapies based on chimeric antigen receptor and T cell receptor technologies to genetically engineer T cells to recognize and kill cancer cells. Went public in 2014. Backed by Alaska Permanent Fund, ARCH Venture Partners, Venrock & Bezos Expeditions.
DBV Technologies (2002, Bagneux, IPO) – Epicutaneous immunotherapy for the treatment of various kinds of food and pediatric allergy. Went public in 2012. Backed by InnoBio Fund, Lundbeckfond Ventures and others.
Stemcentrx (2008, SF, $500M, Acq.) – Antibodies and antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) to target cancer stem cells. Backed by Founders Fund, Artis Ventures and Fidelity Investments.
Immunocore (2008, Abingdon, $320M) – Developing Immune mobilizing mTCR Against Cancer (IImmTACs) that enable the immune system to recognize and kill cancerous or bacterially/virally infected cells. Backed by Eli Lilly, Malin Corporation, and Woodford Investment Management.
Gene Therapy
Alnylam Pharmaceuticals (Cambridge, 2002, IPO) – Developing therapeutics based on RNA interference (RNAi) for the treatment of rare genetic & cardio-metabolic diseases. Went public in 2004. Backed by Takeda Pharmaceutical, Genzyme and others.
Audentes Therapeutics (2013, SF, IPO) – Developing treatments for rare muscle diseases using adeno-associated virus (AAV) gene therapy technology. Backed by OrbiMed Advisors, Deerfield Capital Management, Redmile Group, Sofinnova Ventures and others. Went public in 2016.
Editas Medicine (2013, Cambridge, IPO) – Developing therapeutics based on CRISPR/Cas genome editing technology to treat the underlying cause of a broad range of diseases at the genetic level. Backed by Flagship Ventures, Polaris Partners, Third Rock Ventures and others. Went public in 2016.
Moderna Therapeutics (2010, Cambridge, $1.06B) – Messenger RNA-based therapeutics that produces human proteins or antibodies inside patient cells for rare diseases & cancer. Backed by Alexion Pharmaceuticals, Flagship Ventures, and others.
Microbiome Therapy
Seres Therapeutics (2010, Cambridge, IPO) – Ecobiotic microbiome therapeutics to treat dysbiosis in the colonic microbiome. Went public in 2015. Backed by Flagship Ventures, Enso Ventures, Nestle Health Science, Mayo Clinic and Alexandria Venture Investments.
C3 Jian (2005, LA, $105M) – Pathogen-specific antimicrobial peptide therapeutics to treat & prevent diseases caused by microbial dysbiosis. Backed by Renaissance Health Service Corp., Wyssta Investments, and Corvesta.
Evelo Therapeutics (2015, Cambridge, $35M) – Discovering & developing Oncobiotic therapies through the systematic understanding of cancer associated microbiome & bacterial immune activators. Backed by Flagship Ventures.
Synthetic Biology
Intrexon Corporation (1998, Blacksburg, IPO) – Employs modular DNA control systems to enhance capabilities, improve safety & lower cost in human therapeutics, protein production, industrial products, agricultural biotechnology, and animal science. Went public in 2013. Backed by Third Security and NewVa Capital Partners.
Ginkgo Bioworks (2008, Boston, $154M) – Engineering microbes to produce cultured ingredients such as flavors, fragrances, cosmetics, and sweeteners. Backed by Viking Global Investors, Felicis Ventures, OS Fund and others.
Twist Bioscience (2013, SF, $133M) – Developing a semiconductor-based system for synthetic DNA manufacturing. Backed by Illumina, Tao Venture Partners, ARCH Venture Partners and Paladin Capital Group.
Cell Therapy & Regenerative Medicine
Humacyte (2004, Morrisville, $150M) – Developing human tissue-based products for vascular disease & replacement of anatomical conduits. Backed by Access Industries, Bangkok bank, Pacific Eagle Asset Management and Reignwood Group.
Gamida Cell (1998, Jerusalem, $95M) – Developing treatments for orphan hematological diseases & malignancies using stem cells and NK cells. Backed by Auriga Partners, Israel Healthcare Ventures and Novartis.
Xeltis (2006, Zurich, $66M) – Developing bioabsorbable synthetic heart valves & vascular grafts aimed at restoring healthy valve and vessels. Backed by Kurma Life Science Partners, Life Sciences Partners and VI Partners.
Protein Therapy
Semma Therapeutics (2014, Boston, $44M) – Developing a cell therapy for Type 1 diabetes. Backed by MPM Capital, Fidelity Biosciences, ARCH Venture Partners, and Medtronic.
Aileron Therapeutics (2005, Cambridge, $121M) – Developing stapled peptides to modulate intracellular protein-protein interactions for the treatment of cancer. Backed by Aju IB Investment, SR One, Novartis Venture Fund and others.
Aeglea Biotherapeutics (2013, Austin, $68M) – Engineering human amino acid degrading enzymes for the treatment of inborn errors of metabolism and cancer. Backed by Novartis Venture Fund, Lilly Ventures and others.
Omics
Oxford Nanopore Technologies (2005, Oxford, $408.5M) – Developing nanopore-based electronic systems for analysis of single molecules including DNA, RNA, and proteins. Backed by IP Group, Illumina, Lansdowne Partners and others.
Human Longevity (2013, San Diego, $300M) – Developing and applying large-scale computing and machine learning to advance personalized medicine. Backed by Illumina, Celgene, GE Ventures and others.
iCarbonX (2013, Shenzhen, $215M) – Big Data and AI-powered platform to analyze omics data along with phenotypic, social and environmental information. Backed by Tencent, Vcanbio and China Bridge Capital.