eTheRNA, MedGenome, AstriVax
eTheRNA Raises €39M in Series B2 Financing
eTheRNA, a Niel, Belgium-based mRNA technologies company, raised €39M in a Series B2 financing.
The round was led by Novalis LifeSciences with participation from Professor Kenneth Chien, an expert in mRNA technology and its therapeutic applications, as well as existing investors LSP (now EQT Life Sciences), PMV, Grand Pharma, Fund+, Omega Fund, and others.
Concurrent with this investment round, the two new investors Dr. Kenneth Chien, co-founder of Moderna Therapeutics and professor at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, Sweden, and Dr. Marijn Dekkers, founder and chairman of Novalis LifeSciences LLC and former CEO of Bayer AG and Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc., will join the company’s board of directors. In addition, eTheRNA announced the departure of its CEO, Steven Powell, and the appointment of current COO, Bernard Sagaert, as interim-CEO.
The company intends to use the funds to expand investment in its integrated mRNA technology platform and further pursue its new initiatives for a partnership-driven business strategy.
Founded in 2013, eTheRNA has established an integrated set of proprietary capabilities for an end-to-end solution to design, develop and manufacture next-generation mRNA products based on enabling technologies. Its new business model will utilize this suite of capabilities to provide superior products for partners in both early-stage research as well as later-stage development for mRNA therapeutics. eTheRNA will leverage its proprietary molecular designs, lipid biochemistry expertise, customized lipid nanoparticle formulations (cLNPs), mRNA-based T cell adjuvants, and advanced manufacturing processes to overcome the current challenges facing the development of mRNA therapeutics.
eTheRNA Raises €39M in Series B2 Financing
eTheRNA, a Niel, Belgium-based mRNA technologies company, raised €39M in a Series B2 financing
AstriVax Raises €30M in Seed Funding
AstriVax, a Leuven, Belgium-based KU Leuven spin-off that develops vaccines, raised €30m in seed funding.
The round was led by V-Bio Ventures and Fund+. The other investors are Flanders Future TechFund, Thuja Capital, Ackermans & van Haaren, Mérieux Equity Partners (via OMX Europe Venture Fund), BNP Paribas Fortis Private Equity, and the KU Leuven Gemma Frisius Fund.
The company intends to use the funds to bring their first thermostable yellow fever vaccine to the clinical development stage and to further develop their pipeline vaccine candidates – one to prevent rabies and one to treat chronic hepatitis B.
Led by Hanne Callewaert, PhD, CEO, AstriVax will draw on technology developed at the KU Leuven Rega Institute to develop novel vaccines that are easy to produce, have reduced cold chain requirements, and offer broad and long-lasting protection against various viruses and other pathogens.
The company will also continue to build its plug-and-play vaccine platform based on the work of co-founders Professor Johan Neyts and Kai Dallmeier, PhD, from the KU Leuven Rega Institute. The technology of AstriVax can be used to develop a wide range of vaccines to prevent and treat infectious diseases.
The company will be headquartered at the BioHub in Haasrode (Leuven), Belgium.
AstriVax Raises €30M in Seed Funding
AstriVax, a Leuven, Belgium-based KU Leuven spin-off that develops vaccines, raised €30m in seed funding
Aktis Oncology Raises $84M in Series A Extension Funding
Aktis Oncology, a Cambridge, MA-based biotechnology company focused on advancing alpha radiopharmaceuticals to treat solid cancers, raised $84M in Series A funding.
The round was led by Cowen Healthcare Investments, MRL Ventures Fund, ArrowMark Partners, Mirae Asset Venture Investment, Timefolio Capital, Pappas Capital, MPM Capital, Vida Ventures, EcoR1 Capital, Octagon Capital, TCG Crossover, Bristol Myers Squibb, and Novartis. Aktis also announced that in conjunction with the Series A Extension, Kevin Raidy, Managing Partner at Cowen Healthcare Investments and Jason Ruth, Partner at MRL Ventures will be joining Aktis’ Board of Directors as Observers.
The company intends to use the funds to develop proprietary targeted alpha radiopharmaceutical pipeline for the treatment of highly prevalent cancers.
Led by CEO Matthew Roden, Aktis Oncology is a biotechnology company pioneering the discovery and development of a new class of targeted alpha radiopharmaceuticals to treat a broad range of solid tumor cancers. Founded and incubated by MPM Capital, the company has developed proprietary platforms to generate tumor targeting agents with ideal properties for alpha radiotherapy. Designed for high tumor penetration and long residence time, Aktis Oncology’s molecules will quickly clear other areas of the body, thereby maximizing tumor elimination while minimizing side effects of treatment.
Aktis Oncology Raises $84M in Series A Extension Funding
Aktis Oncology, a Cambridge, MA-based biotechnology company focused on advancing alpha radiopharmaceuticals to treat solid cancers, raised $84M in Series A funding
Digital Diagnostics Closes $75M Series B Funding
Digital Diagnostics (formerly known as IDx), a Coralville, IA-based artificial intelligence diagnostic health care technology company, raised $75M in Series B funding.
The round was led by KKR with participation from Cedar Pine, Kinderhook, 8VC, Optum Ventures, OSF Ventures, Gundersen Health System, Edward – Elmhurst Health Venture Capital, and the University of Iowa. Ali Satvat, Partner and Global Head of Health Care Strategic Growth at KKR and Stephen Weiss, Managing Director of Cedar Pine, have joined the company’s board of directors.
The company intends to use the funds to accelerate its product roadmap, expand its distribution footprint, and invest in sales and marketing.
Led by CEO John Bertrand, Seth Rainford, co-founder, president, and COO, and Dr. Michael D. Abramoff, MD, PhD, founder and executive chairman, Digital Diagnostics is an AI diagnostics company on a mission to transform the quality, accessibility, equity, and affordability of global health care through the application of technology in the medical diagnosis and treatment process. Its flagship product, IDx-DR, is an FDA De Novo cleared autonomous AI diagnostic system designed to detect diabetic retinopathy (including diabetic macular edema) at the point-of-care. autonomous AI in health care.
Digital Diagnostics Closes $75M Series B Funding
Digital Diagnostics (formerly known as IDx), a Coralville, IA-based artificial intelligence diagnostic health care technology company, raised $75M in Series B funding
MedGenome Raises $50M in Funding
MedGenome, a Bangalore, India-based genetic diagnostics, research, and data company, raised $50m in funding.
The round was led by Novo Holdings, with participation from LeapFrog Investments, and Sofina.
The company intends to use the funds to broaden its product offering and improve the reach of its key diagnostic services, including reproductive and oncology services, as well as the enhancement of MedGenome’s bioinformatics and SaaS offerings.
Led by Mahesh Pratapneni, CEO, MedGenome is a provider of genomic solutions for populations in South Asia and provides advanced genetic testing and bioinformatics solutions to patients, pharmaceutical companies, and research institutions around the world. Its genetic testing provides insights into complex, noncommunicable diseases to aid in the drug discovery and clinical trials for treatment in the areas of oncology, diabetes, ophthalmology, cardiology, and other rare diseases. To date, the company has administered more than 300,000 complex genetic tests and served over 200,000 patients. MedGenome obtains samples from nearly 4,000 hospitals and 10,000 physicians across the globe.
MedGenome Raises $50M in Funding
MedGenome, a Bangalore, India-based genetic diagnostics, research, and data company, raised $50m in funding
Vilya Launches With $50M in Series A Financing
Vilya, Inc., a Seattle, WA-based biotechnology company creating a new class of medicines that precisely target disease biology, launched with $50m in Series A financing.
The round was led by ARCH Venture Partners.
The company’s proprietary platform, powered by advanced machine learning, taps into uncharted chemical space to design de novo molecular structures that range in size between small molecules and antibodies, with critical drug-like properties, including the ability to move through biological membranes and to disrupt protein-protein interactions while being highly selective for their protein target. These novel artificial molecules with customized biologic-like properties can be leveraged for previously difficult-to-drug therapeutic targets in a broad set of indications.
Vilya’s computational design platform leverages advanced machine learning and other computational approaches to explore an exponentially larger chemical space and design desired drug properties. These capabilities position the company to precisely target disease biology.
Vilya’s co-founding team includes David Baker, Gaurav Bhardwaj, Lance Stewart, Patrick Salveson, Adam Moyer, and Naozumi Hiranuma, from the UW Medicine Institute for Protein Design and Robert Nelsen, Steven Gillis, Olivia Zetter, Inca Dieterich, and Sabah Oney, from ARCH Venture Partners.
Vilya Launches With $50M in Series A Financing
Vilya, Inc., a Seattle, WA-based biotechnology company creating a new class of medicines that precisely target disease biology, launched with $50m in Series A financing
Medical Excellence Capital Closes Maiden Fund, at $145M
Medical Excellence Capital, a Nissequogue, NY-based early-stage life science venture firm formed to invest in disruptive technologies in precision health, held a $145m final close of Medical Excellence Capital Partners, LP.
MEC was formed to leverage the combination of a proven investment team and a unique network of physician-scientists to focus on company creation and venture investing. Target investment areas include cell therapy, gene therapy, AI/ML applied to drug discovery, synthetic biology, and regenerative medicine.
Founded by John Prufeta, founder and general partner, Medical Excellence Capital provides company creation, seed, and early-stage capital to innovators in the areas of cell therapy, gene therapy, AI/ML applied to drug discovery, immunology/drug resistance, and regenerative medicine. MEC invests solely in high potential companies where its expertise, insights, and global network can promote acceleration and maximized value creation. It is closely aligned and networked with Medical Excellence Group (MedEx), an extensive global, private health advisory medical network and family office health care platform, built and refined over the last 15 years by Mr. Prufeta. This platform includes a network of more than 1,200 top physician and scientist leaders across 33 major academic medical centers and research institutions in the US. The Medical Excellence Capital team operates out of the significant health care innovation markets New York, California, and Pennsylvania.
