Simcha Therapeutics is a New Haven, CT–based biotechnology company that uses directed evolution to engineer novel cytokines designed to unlock the immune system. Its lead program, ST-067, is a designer IL‑18 cytokine that showed potent antitumor effects in animal models and was described in Nature in June 2020. A Phase 1 clinical trial for ST-067 commenced in the second half of 2021. The company plans to use the new funding to expand development and initiate a Phase 1/2 study evaluating a novel IL‑18 variant in cancer. Simcha was founded in 2018 by Aaron Ring, MD, PhD. The company recently raised $40M in a Series B financing. Simcha Therapeutics is a biotechnology company developing first-in-class biologic drugs that modulate cytokine pathways using directed evolution. Its lead program, ST-067, is a designer variant of interleukin-18 (IL-18) engineered to evade the decoy receptor IL-18BP and selectively activate the IL-18 receptor. Preclinical data published in Nature show the engineered IL-18 biases receptor binding away from the decoy by more than one million-fold and produced potent single-agent antitumor activity, including complete tumor regressions in mice and activity in checkpoint-resistant models. The molecule increased intratumoral ‘‘stem-like’’ T cell numbers and enhanced NK cell maturation in preclinical studies, and showed activity when combined with anti-PD-1. Simcha launched with $25 million in Series A financing and has received $25 million in funding to date. The company, founded by Aaron Ring and based in New Haven, Conn., plans to advance ST-067 into a Phase 1 clinical trial in the first half of 2021 and is building out its executive team.

Total raised

$65M

Funding rounds

2

Latest round

Series B

Latest activity

Jan 2022