• EyeYon

  Participated · Series C · Mar 2021

  EyeYon Medical develops EndoArt®, a synthetic artificial endothelial layer designed to be attached to the posterior corneal surface to treat chronic corneal edema caused by endothelial dysfunction. The minimally invasive implant aims to replace dysfunctional endothelium, restore corneal homeostasis and reduce vision loss, offering a potentially safer and simpler alternative to corneal transplantation. The company also markets an FDA‑approved therapeutic contact lens, Hyper CL™, for various corneal pathologies. EyeYon says additional funding will accelerate pivotal clinical studies and support regulatory clearances across multiple regions. The company has generated first‑in‑human clinical evidence validating EndoArt® safety and is now pursuing expanded trials. Recent financing is intended to advance EndoArt® clinical trials in the USA, China and Europe and to broaden surgeon access to the therapy. EyeYon Medical is an Israeli medtech company founded in 2011 at the VLX Technological Incubator by ophthalmologists. The company is developing a silicone disc implanted in place of the corneal endothelium as a synthetic substitute for corneal transplants. The new capital will be used to finance human clinical trials for that implant. EyeYon also markets Hyper-CL, a contact lens that has received FDA and CE certification and is being sold in Spain, Poland, India, and the US. The company has raised a total of $10 million to date. Nahum Ferera serves as CEO.

• Volastra Therapeutics

  Participated · Seed · Feb 2020

  Volastra Therapeutics is a New York-based clinical-stage drug discovery company focused on exploiting chromosomal instability (CIN) to treat cancer. The company in-licensed Amgen’s sovilnesib (AMG650), an oral, first-in-class small-molecule KIF18A inhibitor, receiving an exclusive worldwide license (ex-China) to develop and commercialize the drug. Sovilnesib is in Phase 1 for platinum-resistant high-grade serous ovarian cancer, triple-negative breast cancer and other solid tumors with TP53 mutations, and has FDA fast-track designation for platinum-resistant high-grade serous ovarian cancer. Volastra also develops its own KIF18A inhibitor, VLS-1488, and plans to advance clinical development of both sovilnesib and VLS-1488 in 2023. In parallel with the in-license, the company closed a $60 million Series A financing. Volastra has a multi-year collaboration with Bristol Myers Squibb worth up to $1.1 billion for CIN-based synthetic lethality discovery and a partnership with Microsoft to develop AI for high-throughput histopathological identification of CIN. Volastra Therapeutics develops novel therapies and discovery tools aimed at halting or preventing cancer metastasis by exploiting insights into chromosomal instability (CIN). The company uses proprietary computational and experimental approaches and a technology suite to bulk-measure and exploit vulnerabilities in chromosomally unstable cancer cells. The recent financing will support further build-out of that technology platform and advance drug discovery programs to block metastasis. Volastra has announced collaborations with Dewpoint Therapeutics to discover molecules that block immuno-suppressive signaling in CIN-high tumors and with Microsoft to develop AI algorithms to detect and predict metastatic potential in tissue samples. The company was co-founded by Lewis Cantley, Olivier Elemento and Samuel Bakhoum, and is led by CEO Charles Hugh-Jones. Volastra is based in West Harlem, N.Y. Volastra Therapeutics is focused on developing therapies specifically for metastatic cancers by targeting pathways related to chromosomal instability. The company leverages pioneering science from the Cantley and Elemento labs at Weill Cornell Medicine and the Bakhoum lab at Memorial Sloan Kettering. Volastra uses an extensive library of organoids derived from metastatic cancer samples to validate targets, advance first-in-class clinical candidates, and identify biomarkers to stratify patients. The team aims to shift the treatment paradigm for advanced disease, where metastasis drives the majority of cancer deaths. Volastra is rapidly advancing multiple programs toward the clinic and operates out of Johnson & Johnson Innovation, JLABS @ NYC. The company was founded by Drs. Lewis Cantley, Samuel Bakhoum, and Olivier Elemento and is led by an experienced board including Executive Chair Sandra Peterson.

• Eyevensys

  Participated · Series B · Jan 2020

  Eyevensys develops a non-viral gene therapy ocular drug-delivery platform using an Electrotransfection System to deliver DNA plasmids into the ciliary muscle. The approach turns the eye into a biofactory that can express and secrete therapeutic proteins to the back of the eye at therapeutic levels for greater than six months. Its lead programs include EYS809, a dual gene plasmid for wet age-related macular degeneration expressing a VEGF inhibitor and an endogenous anti‑angiogenic/antifibrotic protein, and EYS611 targeting geographic atrophy and retinitis pigmentosa. EYS606 has validated the platform in the clinic for non-infectious uveitis and has been granted orphan drug designation by the EMA; EYS611 has orphan designation for retinitis pigmentosa in the EU and the US. The company announced it raised $12M in a Series B Plus to support acceleration of EYS809 and advancement of EYS611 as it refocuses on these programs. Eyevensys was founded in 2008 and has offices in Paris, France and the U.S. Eyevensys develops a non-viral Electrotransfection System that delivers DNA plasmids into the ciliary muscle to turn the eye into a biofactory, enabling therapeutic protein expression for greater than six months. Its lead candidate, EYS606, is a plasmid-based TNFα-neutralizing therapy currently in a Phase I/II trial in the EU and has received orphan drug designation from the EMA for chronic non-infectious uveitis (NIU). The company plans to launch the Electro Study, a Phase 2 trial in the U.S., to evaluate safety and efficacy of EYS606 across active anatomic uveitis subtypes. Eyevensys is also advancing preclinical programs including EYS611 for retinitis pigmentosa and dry AMD and EYS609 for wet AMD, diabetic macular edema, and central retinal vein occlusion. The company operates from headquarters in Paris and recently opened a wholly owned U.S. subsidiary in Fort Worth, Texas to manage U.S. operations. Eyevensys completed a $30M Series B to fund clinical and preclinical development of its ophthalmic gene therapy pipeline. Eyevensys develops the proprietary EyeCET non-viral technology and an electro-transfection injection system (ETIS) to deliver plasmids that drive local production of therapeutic proteins in the eye. Its lead candidate, EYS606, encodes anti-TNFα and is designed to treat non-infectious uveitis (NIU), potentially providing 6 to 12 months of effect from a single injection. EYS606 uses ETIS to deliver plasmids to the ciliary muscle to produce anti-TNFα locally, targeting intraocular inflammation mediated by TNFα. In January 2016 EYS606 received Orphan designation from the EMA for NIU. The company planned an open-label Phase Ib study of EYS606 in premier ophthalmological centres in France and the UK by the end of 2016, with study completion expected toward the end of 2017. Eyevensys was founded in 2008 and is led by CEO Raffy Kazandjian. Eyevensys is a Paris-based developer of a non-viral gene therapy platform using electrotransfer to enable prolonged production of therapeutic proteins for ocular diseases. Led by chairman Dr Ivan Cohen-Tanugi and founded in 2009, the company is focusing on uveitis and age-related macular degeneration. In conjunction with a new undisclosed equity investment, Boehringer Ingelheim Venture Fund made the investment and Dr Michel Pairet joined Eyevensys’ board of directors. Existing investors Innobio (managed by CDC Entreprises), Inserm Transfert Initiative and CapDecisif Management intend to participate in a second round planned before the end of Q2 2013. The company previously raised €1.6m in January 2012 and currently employs five people. The stated aim of the new round is to finalize preclinical trials, proceed to clinical trials within 18 months and complete Phase IIa.

• Keros Therapeutics

  Participated · Series B · Jan 2019

  Keros Therapeutics is a Lexington, MA–based company discovering and developing novel proprietary therapeutics for rare and ultra-rare neuromuscular diseases. Its two lead programs include a small-molecule ALK2 inhibitor program for fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva (FOP) and a second program targeting other rare neuromuscular disorders. The ALK2 program, licensed from Massachusetts General Hospital and the NIH’s NCATS, has advanced through preclinical safety studies and was projected to enter Phase 1 SAD/MAD studies in H1 2019. Keros intends to advance both programs from preclinical validation through clinical proof-of-concept and into Phase II trials. The company recently completed a $23m Series B, bringing total venture funding to $34m to date. Leadership is headed by President and CEO Jasbir S. Seehra, and the company added Dr. Zafrira Avnur to its board as part of the financing announcement.

• SQZ Biotech

  Participated · Series C · Aug 2018

  SQZ Biotechnologies develops cell-engineering technologies and platforms aimed at unlocking the potential of cell therapies across multiple therapeutic areas. Its proprietary Cell Squeeze® technology facilitates intracellular delivery and has been applied preclinically to generate neurons from induced human pluripotent stem cells via delivery of mRNA encoding fate-specifying transcription factors. The company is focusing on novel, scalable cell replacement approaches that could reprogram a patient’s own immune cells directly into dopamine-producing neurons for Parkinson’s disease. Using a patient’s own cells could reduce or eliminate the need for chronic immunosuppression, and SQZ emphasizes that RNA-based cell engineering methods are unlikely to cause genome changes that carry long-term risks. Beyond Parkinson’s, SQZ notes potential applications of direct cell replacement therapies for conditions including multiple sclerosis and type 1 diabetes. Financially, the company has been awarded a $2 million SBIR Phase II grant from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS) at the NIH to support a two-year program to develop direct mRNA-based reprogramming methods. SQZ Biotechnologies is a clinical-stage cell therapy company that uses its proprietary Cell Squeeze® microfluidic platform to deliver biological material into diverse cell types and create multifunctional cell therapy candidates. It is advancing multiple platforms including SQZ APC (antigen presenting cells) in a Phase 1 trial of SQZ-PBMC-HPV for HPV+ tumors, as well as SQZ AACs and earlier-stage SQZ TACs for oncology and autoimmune/tolerance applications. The company reports it has consistently manufactured autologous doses for the HPV trial in under 24 hours. SQZ is expanding its cellular vaccine platform into infectious diseases to generate pathogen-targeting CD8 T cell responses in prophylactic and therapeutic settings. To improve accessibility, SQZ is developing a point-of-care system intended to generate patient product at treatment centers and enable faster turnaround times. SQZ is privately held and advancing multiple clinical and preclinical programs across therapeutic areas. SQZ Biotechnologies has developed a cell therapy platform that directly engineers complex cell functions without affecting cell health, using a simple and scalable process. The company is led by co-founder and CEO Armon Sharei, PhD. Its lead program targets antigen presenting cells (APCs) for oncology, with first applications in multiple HPV+ tumor indications and plans to address additional solid tumors. Proceeds from the financing will support SQZ’s most advanced programs in solid tumors and auto-immunity. The company intends to use the funds to bring its programs in solid tumors and autoimmune diseases to the clinic. Board additions tied to the financing include Marc Elia (Bridger Healthcare) and Zafi Avnur, PhD (Quark Venture/Global Health Science Fund). SQZ Biotech is a preclinical-stage biotech based in Watertown, Massachusetts, developing cell therapy programs to induce immunological tolerance. It uses a proprietary CellSqueeze® technology to deliver antigens to cells and retrain the immune system. The company’s tolerance program includes a new type 1 diabetes (T1D) program intended to prevent immune attack on insulin-producing beta cells. SQZ received an investment from the JDRF T1D Fund and intends to use the funds to advance its novel T1D therapy. The T1D Fund also brings the expertise of JDRF, the global organization funding T1D research and accelerating innovations. SQZ is led by Bruce Beutel, PhD, Chief Business Officer. SQZ Biotech develops cell engineering technology and provides the CellSqueeze platform to enable novel cell therapies across a broad range of indications. The company harnesses the body’s natural immune system to combat disease and is advancing preclinical immuno-therapy programs in oncology and other serious diseases. SQZ intends to use the newly raised funds to further invest in its platform and to advance its preclinical programs. The company originated out of Dr. Klavs Jensen’s and Robert Langer’s laboratories at MIT. SQZ is led by Co-Founder and CEO Armon Sharei and is based in Boston, MA. The recent financing adds to the company’s development resources as it progresses toward clinical translation.

No current team members are available.