Firefly Bio has developed a platform that combines antibody drug conjugates (ADCs) and catalytic protein degraders to create degrader antibody conjugates (DACs) for oncology. Its proprietary Firelink linker technology is designed to join ADCs and degraders, reduce free payload in circulation, and minimize uptake in healthy cells, enabling lower therapeutic doses. In preclinical studies across solid and liquid tumor models, single administrations of Firefly’s DACs produced significant tumor-volume reductions at very low doses. The company was incubated in collaboration with scientists at Versant’s Ridgeline Discovery Engine in the Basel Technology Park and has rapidly advanced its lead asset. Firefly positions the platform to expand the number of payloads available for targeted therapies and to discover clinically meaningful DACs in oncology and immunology. The company is led by CEO Scott Hirsch and co-founders including John Flygare, Bernhard Geierstanger, and Nobel laureate Carolyn Bertozzi.

Total raised

$94M

Funding rounds

1

Latest round

Series A

Latest activity

Feb 2024