Private Placements
Cellares, launched as an Integrated Development and Manufacturing Organization (IDMO) dedicated to advancing clinical and industrial-scale cell therapy manufacturing, has secured $255 M in Series C funding, led by Koch Disruptive Technologies and joined by Bristol-Myers Squibb, DFJ Growth, Willett Advisors LLC, Eclipse, Decheng Capital, 8VC . This funding injection will fuel the establishment of the world's first commercial-scale IDMO Smart Factory, situated in Bridgewater, New Jersey, spanning 118,000sf and capable of producing 40,000 cell therapy batches annually. Through seamless integration of robotics, purpose-built technology, and interconnected software, Cellares' IDMO Smart Factory is poised to revolutionize production, outpacing traditional facilities tenfold in batch output while being globally deployable to meet escalating cell therapy demand (PR)
Rapport Therapeutics , a neurological disease biotech specializing in precision medicines, emerged from stealth in March with $100 M. Just five months later, they secured a remarkable $150 M in a series B round. Originating from Johnson & Johnson Innovation, the company also brought a clinical-stage asset for seizure disorders. CEO Abraham Ceesay aims to grow Rapport's team from 20 to 30-40 employees by year-end. The company sees promise in addressing less-publicized psychiatric conditions like bipolar disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder, which lack adequate treatments. Notable investors include CORMORANT ASSET MANAGEMENT LLC, Fidelity Investments, Goldman Sachs, Sofinnova Investments , Third Rock Ventures , ARCH Venture Partners and the venture arm of Johnson & Johnson and others (bizjournal)
Astellas Pharma Pharma is acquiring an 8.8% stake in Poseida Therapeutics, Inc. Therapeutics through a $25 M investment. As part of this deal, Astellas will also make a one-time payment of $25 M. In return, Astellas gains exclusive negotiation rights and first refusal for allogeneic CAR-T cell therapy P-MUC1C-ALLO1. This therapy is currently in Phase I development for treating different solid tumor indications (bioprocessintl)
Taysha Gene Therapies, a clinical-stage gene therapy company focused on developing and commercializing AAV-based gene therapies for the treatment of monogenic diseases of the central nervous system (CNS), announced today that it has entered into a securities purchase agreement for a private placement financing (the “PIPE”) that is expected to result in gross proceeds of approximately $150 M, before deducting placement agent commissions and offering expenses. The PIPE was led by new investor, RA Capital Management , with participation from PBM Capital, RTW Investments, LP , Venrock , TCGX , ACUTA CAPITAL PARTNERS LLC , Kynam Capital Management, LP, Octagon Capital, Invus Opportunities , GordonMD® Global Investments LP , and B Group Capital (PR)
Genesis Therapeutics , a pioneer in AI-driven medicines for severe diseases, has secured an oversubscribed $200 M Series B funding round. The funds will advance Genesis into clinical stages, enhance its AI platform, and expand its discovery pipeline. The round was co-led by a U.S. life sciences investor and Andreessen Horowitz (a16z) Bio + Health, with participation from Fidelity Investments , BlackRock , NVIDIA 's NVentures, and existing investors (PR)
Tenpoint Therapeutics Ltd Therapeutics, based in London, has officially launched with a substantial $70 M Series A funding. The biotech firm is dedicated to advancing engineered cell-based therapies and in vivo reprogramming to tackle degenerative ocular diseases, aiming to restore vision. The Series A funding included contributions from new investor British Patient Capital , as well as continued support from initial seed investors like F-Prime Capital, Sofinnova Partners , Qiming Venture Partners USA, Eight Roads , and the UCL Technology Fund , among others. F-Prime and Sofinnova Partners served as founding investors, playing a pivotal role in the company's early operational development and technology expansion (PR)
Tisento Therapeutics has secured $81 M in Series A funding from investors such as Sanofi Ventures, Venrock, J. Wood Capital, Invus, Peter Hecht, Polaris, and others. The company is launching with this financing to advance a mid-stage mitochondrial disease asset it acquired from Cyclerion Therapeutics. This asset, the phase 2 soluble guanylate cyclase (sGC) stimulator zagociguat, is aimed at treating genetic mitochondrial diseases including mitochondrial encephalomyopathy, lactic acidosis, and stroke-like episodes (MELAS). The acquisition deal also included another sGC stimulator, CY3018, which is currently in IND-enabling studies. In exchange, Cyclerion gained a 10% equity ownership in Tisento and future equity purchase rights (PR)
Kriya Therapeutics, Inc. Therapeutics, a biopharmaceutical company focused on gene therapies for widespread conditions, has expanded its Series C Financing by over $150 M from Patient Square Capital , reaching a total of over $430 M. The additional funding will fuel the clinical advancement of Kriya's diverse gene therapy pipeline and further expansion of its engineering, computational, and manufacturing platforms. Since its inception in October 2019, Kriya has secured more than $600 M in committed capital. This financing is expected to sustain Kriya's operations until late 2026 (PR)
Tango Therapeutics Therapeutics (NASDAQ: TNGX), a clinical-stage biotech focused on precision cancer medicines, is conducting a private investment in public equity (PIPE) financing. They're selling about 15.5 M shares of common stock (or pre-funded warrants) to institutional and healthcare specialist investors at $5.15 per share. The financing is expected to raise around $80 M in gross proceeds. NEXTECH leads the financing, joined by investors Boxer Capital, LLC , Bain Capital Life Sciences Fund LP , Casdin Capital, LLC , and others (PR)
Alltrna , a Flagship Pioneering company unlocking transfer RNA (tRNA) biology and pioneering tRNA medicines to regulate the protein universe and resolve disease, today announced that it has raised $109 M in a Series B financing to advance the company's platform and first drug candidates towards the clinic for a first indication in Stop Codon Disease. The financing round included the company's founder, Flagship Pioneering, and a number of top-tier investors (PR)
Persist AI Raises $4M in Seed Financing, Rapidly Accelerates Drug Formulation following their completion of Y Combinator , the prestigious San Francisco based startup accelerator. The funding round was led by 2048 Ventures with the participation of Innospark Ventures , Fellows Fund , YCombinator, Pioneer Fund , and others (PR)
Novo Holdings participates in EUR 30 M Series A financing of Bactolife , a Danish biotech company dedicated to strengthening the gut microbiome and fighting antimicrobial resistance (PR)
