Participated · Equity · Oct 2017

ImaginAb engineers antibody fragments called minibodies that maintain the specificity of full-length antibodies while remaining inert in the body, enabling PET-based whole-body imaging of immune activity. Its minibodies are used to provide actionable insight into patient selection and treatment progress for cancer immunotherapy. The company is also advancing a CD8 T cell imaging agent designed to non-invasively determine changes in CD8+ T cell tumor infiltrates induced by immuno-oncological treatments. Proceeds from the recent financing will be used to accelerate human clinical trials and to implement centralized manufacturing. ImaginAb raised an additional $8M in equity funding in this round. Martyn Coombs leads the company as CEO. ImaginAb, based in Inglewood, CA, engineers antibodies into smaller protein formats optimized for in vivo molecular imaging. Its pipeline includes imaging agents targeting prostate, pancreatic and ovarian cancer, with IAB2M as its lead program in prostate cancer. The company is co-founded by CEO Dr. Christian Behrenbruch. ImaginAb also maintains roughly 30 collaborations with global pharmaceutical companies across cancer, immune/inflammatory and neurodegenerative targets. The company raised new capital to advance its programs and expand its product pipeline. It intends to use the funds specifically to accelerate development of IAB2M and continue pipeline expansion. ImaginAb develops in vivo imaging agents for Positron Emission Tomography (PET) by re‑engineering antibodies into smaller fragments with fast kinetics while maintaining target biospecificity. The company has over a dozen development programs with global biopharma partners to create companion diagnostic imaging agents for therapeutic antibody drugs, with programs spanning Phase I to BLA. ImaginAb also maintains an internal pipeline of proprietary imaging agents targeting unmet needs, particularly for staging metastatic prostate and pancreatic cancer. The company intends to accelerate clinical development of its cancer and immunology imaging programs using the new financing alongside strategic NCI funding and its expanding pharma companion diagnostics program. Leadership includes CEO Christian Behrenbruch, Ph.D., and founders Drs. Robert Reiter and Anna Wu; the company was founded in 2007 and is based in Los Angeles, CA. The recent financing strengthens resources to advance clinical programs and partner development.

Participated · Series C · Oct 2017

Visterra is a clinical-stage biotech that uses its Hierotope® platform and ViStar™ Fc engineering to identify unique targets and design precision antibody-based therapies. Its lead product candidates include VIS410 (for hospitalized influenza A), VIS649 (for IgA nephropathy), VIS513 (dengue, developed with Serum Institute of India) and VIS705 (an ADC targeting Pseudomonas aeruginosa). The company plans to advance VIS410 into a Phase 2b clinical trial and to initiate clinical trials for VIS649, while continuing to develop ViStar Fc modifications to extend antibody half-life and effector function. Visterra reported a Series C financing to support these development activities. Management highlighted several near-term clinical milestones, including top-line results from a VIS410 Phase 2a trial and initiation of VIS410 Phase 2b and VIS649 trials. The company is based in Cambridge, Mass. Visterra is a Cambridge, Mass.–based biotechnology company that uses its proprietary Hierotope™ Platform and Atomic Interaction Network (AIN) analysis to identify epitopes and design novel monoclonal antibody therapeutics. Its lead candidates include VIS410, a broad‑spectrum human monoclonal antibody for prevention and treatment of seasonal and pandemic influenza, and VIS513, a human monoclonal antibody that broadly neutralizes all four dengue virus serotypes. Proceeds from an upsized $30 million Series B will be used to advance multiple product candidates into the clinic, including moving VIS410 into Phase 2 trials and advancing VIS513 into the clinic. The company focuses on engineering antibodies to address polymorphism and mutational escape exhibited by infectious organisms. Visterra was founded based on scientific work developed in the laboratory of Dr. Ram Sasisekharan and licensed from MIT. Visterra discovers and develops novel monoclonal antibodies to prevent and treat major infectious diseases, with a lead candidate VIS410 targeting seasonal and pandemic influenza. The company uses a proprietary antibody engineering and network analysis technology to identify novel target epitopes and guide antibody design. Visterra plans to advance VIS410 into phase 1 clinical trials in 2014 and to build a broader pipeline of antibodies in infectious disease through internal programs and strategic partnerships. Financially, the company completed an upsized and final closing of its Series A, receiving $8.1 million in this closing and bringing total Series A proceeds to $34.2 million. Existing investors continue to back the company, and proceeds will be used to accelerate development and company growth. The company also expanded its executive team with appointments including a new CEO earlier in the year and recent hires for COO/CFO and VP of Business Development. Visterra discovers and develops novel antibodies to prevent and treat infectious and other major diseases. Its proprietary antibody discovery platform generates unique structural information to identify novel target epitopes and guide antibody design. The company’s lead product candidate, VIS410, is a broad‑spectrum monoclonal antibody for the prevention and treatment of seasonal and pandemic influenza. Proceeds from the financing will be used to further develop and validate Visterra’s technology platform and advance its infectious disease product pipeline. Visterra announced an antibody discovery collaboration with Pfizer in September 2012 and was founded based on the scientific work of Dr. Ram Sasisekharan at MIT. The company is backed by Polaris Venture Partners, Flagship Ventures, Lux Capital, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and Omega Funds and is based in Cambridge, Mass.

Participated · Series B · Aug 2017

Unity Biotechnology is developing therapeutics to extend healthspan by slowing, halting or reversing diseases of aging, with an initial focus on senolytic medicines. Its senolytic candidates are designed to selectively eliminate senescent cells to treat age-related conditions such as osteoarthritis, eye diseases and pulmonary diseases. The company intends to use new funding to advance its lead senolytic drug candidates into human clinical trials. Unity is led by chairman and CEO Keith Leonard. The company is based in San Francisco, CA. Financial details in the article report a recently completed Series C financing. Unity Biotechnology is a San Francisco–based biotechnology company developing therapeutics that prevent, halt, or reverse diseases of aging by targeting cellular senescence. Led by chairman and CEO Keith Leonard, the company is creating a new class of therapies called senolytic medicines designed to selectively eliminate senescent cells linked to osteoarthritis, glaucoma and atherosclerosis. Unity closed an additional $35M in a Series B second close, bringing the total Series B financing to $151M. New Series B investors include INVUS Opportunities, Three Lakes Partners, Cycad Group, COM Investments and Pivotal Alpha Limited; the round was led by ARCH Venture Partners, Baillie Gifford, Fidelity Management and Research Company, Partner Fund Management and Venrock. Other backers named in the financing include Bezos Expeditions, Vulcan Capital, Founders Fund, WuXi PharmaTech and Mayo Clinic Ventures. Proceeds will be used to expand ongoing research programs in cellular senescence and to advance Unity's first preclinical programs into human trials; the company also added Graham Cooper to its board. Unity Biotechnology is a biotech startup developing medicines aimed at slowing age-related diseases by helping the body shed senescent (aging) cells that cause inflammation and tissue dysfunction. The company’s core approach focuses on therapies to reduce buildup of non-dividing, stress-induced cells linked to aging pathologies. Unity has attracted top investors in science and medicine, reflecting its perceived potential to alter aging trajectories. The company announced a large Series B financing that significantly bolsters its balance sheet for continued R&D and development programs. Leadership changes accompanied the financing: Keith Leonard was named CEO and co-founder Nathaniel “Ned” David moved to the role of president. The round was described in coverage as one of the larger private financings in biotech history, signaling strong investor confidence. Unity Biotechnology is designing therapeutics that prevent, halt, or reverse multiple diseases of aging by targeting cellular senescence. The company’s initial programs focus on indications such as osteoarthritis, glaucoma and atherosclerosis that are thought to be driven by senescent cells. Unity controls foundational intellectual property arising from seminal studies published in Nature and Nature Medicine and was formed with contributions from investigators at the Mayo Clinic, the Buck Institute and the University of Arkansas. Preclinical work cited in the announcement showed that periodic clearance of senescent cells preserved tissue function and extended lifespan in mice, and that pharmacologic agents can selectively kill senescent cells. The executive team has previously advanced more than 90 therapeutic candidates into human trials and helped create 13 FDA‑approved medicines. Unity launched with initial funding support led by ARCH Venture Partners and contributions from Venrock, WuXi, Mayo Clinic, the management team and others.

Participated · Series A · Oct 2013

SOFIE Biosciences develops and delivers radiopharmaceuticals and theranostics, operating a PET radiopharmacy and a contract development and manufacturing organization. The company emphasizes molecular diagnostics and therapeutics to improve patient outcomes. It maintains a robust radiopharmaceutical production and distribution network and mature contract manufacturing services. SOFIE also holds high‑value theranostic intellectual property. The company is positioned to scale radiopharmaceutical delivery and commercialize theranostic products, leveraging its existing manufacturing and distribution capabilities. No revenue or user metrics were disclosed in the article. Sofie Biosciences develops diagnostic imaging agents and scanners for Positron Emission Tomography (PET) in vivo molecular imaging. The company aims to increase the adoption and application diversity of PET by enabling quantitative, non-invasive measurement of disease biology. Led by President & CEO Patrick Phelps and COO Philipp Czernin, Sofie focuses on both agents and scanner technologies. It intends to use recent financing to continue development of those diagnostic imaging agents and scanners. Sofie is based in Los Angeles, CA and targets broader clinical and translational PET applications. Sofie Biosciences develops molecular imaging probes and devices to help scientists and physicians investigate the biology of disease. The company focuses on increasing the availability and application base of Positron Emission Tomography (PET) imaging. One notable technology is a self-shielded microfluidic chip-based synthesizer for on-demand PET probe production. Sofie is a spinout of UCLA and Caltech, founded in 2008 and led by President & CEO Patrick Phelps. The company raised $5M in a Series A financing and intends to use the funds to further develop its technologies. Sofie Biosciences develops molecular imaging agents and devices focused on PET imaging to improve diagnosis, treatment selection, and therapeutic monitoring. It holds an exclusive license from the University of California to a family of PET molecular imaging agents called FAC, which have shown promise in preclinical animal research and early patient studies for assessing response to nucleoside prodrugs. The company designs its agents to enable more accurate, whole-body noninvasive determination of therapeutic response. Sofie intends to use recent funding to develop new PET imaging agents and to enhance its PET imaging systems and chemistry units. The company closed an additional $2m from new and existing investors, including the Cycad Group. Sofie is based in Culver City, California, and its founders include Dr. Michael Phelps, Dr. Owen Witte, Dr. Johannes Czernin and Dr. James Heath.

Participated · Series C · Oct 2012

Genocea is a Cambridge, Mass.-based clinical-stage company advancing T cell vaccines and using its proprietary ATLAS™ platform to profile immune responses. Its lead programs are GEN-003, a therapeutic vaccine candidate for HSV-2, and GEN-004, a preclinical vaccine candidate against Streptococcus pneumoniae. The company also plans to expand its malaria program in collaboration with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to identify antigens for a potential protein subunit vaccine. Genocea intends to use proceeds from the financing to continue development of its lead programs and to support ATLAS-based antigen discovery. The company is led by CEO Chip Clark and focuses on translating T cell profiling into vaccine candidates. Financially, Genocea reported the recent Series C and cumulative equity financing totals in the related announcement. Genocea is a Cambridge, MA-based biotechnology company developing a new class of T cell–based vaccines. Its lead program is a therapeutic vaccine for herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2) infections. The company also maintains a deep research pipeline with prophylactic vaccine programs addressing Chlamydia trachomatis, Streptococcus pneumoniae, HSV-2 and Plasmodium falciparum (malaria). Genocea intends to use the proceeds from the financing to support clinical development of its lead HSV-2 program. The funds will also advance its broader research pipeline and associated programs. The company strengthened its leadership team concurrent with the financing, adding a new board member and a chief medical officer to oversee clinical, medical and regulatory activities.