FogPharma leverages its Helicon peptide platform to design stabilized helical peptides capable of efficient cell entry and modulation of intracellular targets. Its lead program, FOG-001, is a first-in-class TCF-blocking β-catenin inhibitor currently in a Phase 1/2 study in patients with advanced solid tumors, including colorectal cancer. The company uses custom-built computational physics and machine learning/AI methods to drive discovery across previously undruggable intracellular targets. The recent financing will accelerate the Helicon portfolio, deepen data science capabilities, and strengthen the core therapeutics platform. FogPharma has expanded its leadership team with industry veterans in clinical, commercial, and data science roles to support development and potential commercialization. The company is headquartered in Cambridge, Mass., and has raised more than $500 million to date. FogPharma is a biopharmaceutical company developing Helicon™ hyperstabilized α‑helical polypeptide therapeutics intended to reach targets considered undruggable. Its discovery engine integrates directed evolution, proprietary α‑helix conformational hyperstabilization chemistry, highly multiplexed optimization, AI and structure‑based drug discovery to generate polypeptides that combine antibody‑like specificity with small‑molecule tissue distribution and intracellular engagement. The company’s lead candidate, FOG‑001, is a first‑and‑only‑in‑class direct TCF‑blocking β‑catenin inhibitor expected to enter clinical development in mid‑2023, and FogPharma is advancing additional programs against TEAD, NRAS, Pan‑KRAS, ERG and Cyclin E1. Proceeds from the Series D financing will be used to advance and accelerate the Helicon pipeline and platform capabilities. FogPharma is headquartered in Cambridge, Mass., was spun out of Harvard University by Dr. Gregory Verdine, and has raised more than $360 million to date. In connection with the financing the company added Rick Klausner to its board and appointed Dr. Verdine as board chair as it scales science, team and infrastructure. FogPharma develops Helicon™ peptides, a proprietary class of hyperstabilized α-helical peptides that combine the targeting strength and specificity of antibodies with the tissue distribution, intracellular engagement, and oral dosing optionality of small molecules. Its Helicon discovery engine integrates directed evolution, helix hyperstabilization chemistry, highly multiplexed optimization, artificial intelligence (deep learning and machine learning), structure-based drug discovery, and multiscale manufacturing. The company is advancing first-in-class programs toward clinical development with an explicit focus on targets considered previously undruggable and broad applicability across disease areas, especially cancer. Lead programs include a direct β-catenin antagonist that disrupts β-catenin/TCF interaction and a TEAD antagonist that blocks the YAP/TAZ–TEAD interface and binds the fully activated form of TEAD. FogPharma emphasizes making a wide range of targets druggable via its Universal Druggability™ platform. The company has raised substantial financing to support its clinical ambitions, including a recent Series C. FogPharma advances a broadly enabling new drug class of cell-penetrating miniproteins paired with a parallelized, on-demand drug discovery engine designed to access intracellular targets. The company’s platform is configured to deliver multiple new medicines rapidly, with the first clinical entry — a beta-catenin antagonist — targeted by the end of 2019. FogPharma was founded and is led by scientist-entrepreneur Dr. Gregory Verdine, who pioneered the cell-penetrating miniprotein approach. Its early therapeutic focus is on drugging major, intractable drivers of cancer and on pharmacological management of the immune response. The company has raised $77M to date following the Series B, and plans to advance several programs and expand its platform technology. Intended near-term programs include advancing the beta-catenin inhibitor (iCat) into Phase 2, clinical development of a Cbl-b inhibitor, a third program through IND-enabling studies, and development of three additional forms of cell-penetrating miniproteins.

Total raised

$496M

Funding rounds

4

Latest round

Series E

Latest activity

Mar 2024