Tarveda Therapeutics is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing Pentarins™, a class of potent, selective miniaturized drug conjugates engineered for enhanced tumor penetration, target binding, and payload release. Its lead candidate PEN-221 targets somatostatin receptor 2 (SSTR2) for neuroendocrine and small cell lung cancers and comprises a peptide linked to the cytotoxic DM1. The company is also advancing PEN-866, an HSP90-targeting conjugate that delivers SN-38, and plans to move PEN-866 into clinical trials this year. Tarveda intends to use recent financing to complete Phase I dose-escalation and safety studies of PEN-221 and PEN-866 and to initiate and advance Phase 2A studies for PEN-221. The company also plans to develop additional candidates from the Pentarin platform and seek potential collaborators to apply the platform to new targets and payloads. Tarveda is based in Watertown, Mass. Tarveda Therapeutics (formerly Blend Therapeutics) is developing Pentarins, a novel class of miniaturized biologic drug conjugates engineered to penetrate solid tumors and deliver potent cancer‑killing payloads. The Pentarin platform aims to tune pharmacokinetics, biodistribution, tumor accumulation, tumor penetration, and cancer cell uptake to overcome limitations of larger modalities such as antibody drug conjugates. Tarveda’s lead candidate, PEN-221, targets the somatostatin receptor and is being developed for neuroendocrine cancers, including small cell lung cancer. The company plans to use the Series C proceeds to advance its Pentarin pipeline and to move PEN-221 into Phase 1 clinical studies in mid-2016, employing patient stratification by somatostatin receptor expression. To reflect its strategic focus, the company changed its corporate name to Tarveda and has attracted a syndicate of life sciences investors. Separately, Tarveda transitioned its platinum drug candidate BTP-114 into an independent company, Placon Therapeutics, which holds an FDA-approved IND and is seeking a strategic partner to advance clinical development. Blend Therapeutics unveiled its proprietary Pentarin platform, which creates miniaturized biologic drug conjugates (mBDCs) encapsulated in polymeric nanoparticles designed to concentrate therapy at tumor sites and penetrate deep into tumor tissue. The company secured an exclusive license to a bi-podal targeting ligand to enable a robust pipeline of Pentarins. Blend’s pipeline includes a personalized cisplatin prodrug, BTP-114, and BTP-277, the first Pentarin drug candidate. The company plans IND-enabling studies for BTP-277 and to advance BTP-114 toward an investigational new drug filing with the U.S. FDA; the article notes BTP-114 was expected to enter the clinic in mid-2015. Blend intends to explore additional internal Pentarin programs and partnerships with biotech and pharmaceutical collaborators to deploy proprietary targeting scaffolds. Financially, Blend announced a $21 million financing expansion of its Series B plus debt financing, bringing total funding to date to $39.8 million; it is backed by investors including New Enterprise Associates, Flagship Ventures, NanoDimension and Eminent Venture Capital. Blend Therapeutics is a biopharmaceutical company that discovers new classes of medicines using an integrative R&D process that combines new-molecule discovery with a patented nanoparticle engineering platform. The company designs molecular entities specifically to be delivered by its proprietary nanoparticles to produce more targeted, effective, and tolerable therapies. Blend's initial focus is oncology, advancing a platinum drug discovery program that includes mono-functional platinums with new modes of DNA platination and distinct biological differentiation from existing platinum drugs. The company reports several product candidates in multi-billion dollar categories and plans to advance two lead molecules through IND-enabling studies. Founded by leaders from Brigham and Women’s Hospital–Harvard Medical School and MIT (including Drs. Omid Farokhzad, Robert Langer, and Stephen J. Lippard), Blend has attracted investors including Flagship Ventures, NanoDimension, and New Enterprise Associates. Blend recently announced a $16 million Series B financing to support team expansion and progression of lead programs toward IND filing with the FDA. Blend Therapeutics is focused on discovering and developing integrative combination medicines that precisely control each agent's therapeutic action using its proprietary Maestro platform. The company aims to design and integrate drugs to target distinct disease pathways with improved efficacy and safety. Blend was founded by MIT and Harvard Medical School leaders Dr. Robert Langer, Dr. Stephen Lippard, and Dr. Omid Farokhzad, who provide scientific leadership. At launch the company established a Scientific Advisory Board of eight thought leaders in chemistry, cancer biology, immunology, and medicine to guide its work. Blend announced it has secured financing from top-tier venture investors to support its research and development efforts. The company is headquartered in Watertown, MA.

Total raised

$105M

Funding rounds

6

Latest round

Series D

Latest activity

Feb 2017