Participated · Series C · Jul 2024

Autobahn Therapeutics develops restorative treatments for neuropsychiatric and neuroimmunologic disorders using a brain-targeting chemistry platform. Its lead program, ABX-002, is an oral, selective thyroid hormone beta receptor (TRβ) agonist that showed CNS target engagement and favorable tolerability in Phase 1. The company plans to initiate two Phase 2 trials of ABX-002 in the second half of 2024 as adjunctive treatment for major depressive disorder and bipolar depression. Autobahn will also advance ABX-101, a highly CNS-penetrant oral S1P receptor modulator, into Phase 1 clinical testing to target neuroimmunologic and neuroinflammatory disorders. Preclinical data for ABX-101 demonstrated exceptional CNS exposure and robust centrally mediated effects in animal models. The company is based in San Diego and intends to use recent financing to rapidly progress these programs through clinical development. Autobahn Therapeutics leverages a proprietary brain‑targeting chemistry platform to develop precision CNS therapeutics. Its lead program, ABX‑002, is a potent, selective thyroid receptor‑beta (TRβ) agonist designed to augment antidepressant effects and enhance serotonin activity in treatment‑resistant depression (TRD) patients. The company plans to initiate a Phase 1 single‑ and multiple‑ascending dose trial of ABX‑002 in healthy volunteers in the second half of 2022. Autobahn has assembled a TRD‑focused scientific advisory board with leaders from neurology, psychiatry and drug development to guide its program. Beyond TRD, Autobahn will evaluate ABX‑002 for additional indications including remyelination and multiple sclerosis and will use its chemistry platform to identify further programs. The company is based in San Diego. Autobahn Therapeutics is focused on developing next-generation regenerative medicines for CNS disorders by leveraging a brain-targeting chemistry platform and validated thyroid hormone biology. Its lead program, ABX-002, is a thyroid hormone receptor beta agonist being developed for multiple sclerosis and adrenomyeloneuropathy. The company develops small-molecule thyromimetics designed to stimulate remyelination and selectively maximize exposure in the brain. Autobahn intends to use biomarker-driven development to establish on-target activity and early proof-of-mechanism. Leadership includes experienced executives and scientific founders such as Kevin Finney (CEO) and Thomas Scanlan (co-founder and senior advisor). The company is advancing a broader portfolio of CNS programs built on the same platform and has just completed a significant Series B financing to fund near-term development.

Participated · Equity · May 2023

Moon Surgical, founded in 2019, develops the Maestro System, a surgical assistance platform that enhances traditional laparoscopy through collaborative robotics. The Maestro System is designed to augment precision and control for high-volume surgeons performing cholecystectomy, hernia repairs, and more complex multi-quadrant procedures. The company intends to use new funding for continued development and planned commercialization of Maestro. Moon Surgical has achieved regulatory milestones including CE Mark in April 2023 and 510(k) clearance in December 2022. The company operates from Paris, France and San Francisco, CA. Moon Surgical builds the Maestro robotic surgical assistant intended for use in laparoscopic procedures and to integrate into existing operating-room workflows. The company describes Maestro as small, adaptable and data-driven and suitable for use in any laparoscopy in any operating room. Moon Surgical has early fully functional systems being driven by more than 30 surgeons across two continents and multiple clinical indications. The two-year-old company is based in Paris and San Francisco. It plans to expand its team and accelerate product development to broaden clinical use and accessibility of robotic laparoscopy. The recent financing will fund those efforts and further product development.

Participated · Series C · May 2023

Boundless Bio is a clinical‑stage, next‑generation precision oncology company focused on developing therapeutics directed against extrachromosomal DNA (ecDNA) found in oncogene‑amplified cancers. Its lead program, BBI-355, is an orally available, potent, and selective CHK1 inhibitor identified via the company’s Spyglass research platform and designed to be synthetically lethal to ecDNA‑bearing cancer cells. BBI-355 is being evaluated in the ongoing Phase 1/2 POTENTIATE trial (NCT05827614) as a single agent and in combination with select therapies to determine safety, maximum tolerated dose, and recommended Phase 2 dose. The company is also advancing a preclinical pipeline of differentiated ecDNA‑directed therapy candidates. Boundless Bio is developing a proprietary ecDNA diagnostic clinical trial assay called ECHO (ecDNA Harboring Oncogenes) in partnership with SOPHiA GENETICS to support patient selection and development. The company will use new capital to fund clinical development, preclinical programs, and diagnostic assay advancement. Boundless Bio is a next-generation precision oncology company developing therapeutics directed against extrachromosomal DNA (ecDNA) in aggressive cancers. Its Spyglass™ platform combines proprietary ecDNA-driven and pair-matched tumor models with imaging and molecular analytical tools to interrogate ecDNA biology and discover targets that are synthetically lethal in ecDNA-driven tumors. From Spyglass, the company has discovered and validated three ecDNA-essential targets and has initiated drug discovery programs against each. Boundless is also developing the ECHO™ companion diagnostic to identify patients with ecDNA-driven tumors. The company plans to advance multiple ecDNA-directed therapeutic programs into the clinic and expand its pipeline of novel cancer therapies targeting ecDNA. Headquartered in San Diego and launched in 2019, Boundless says it will use the proceeds of its Series B to fund these clinical and pipeline activities. Boundless Bio is focused on interrogating and targeting extrachromosomal DNA (ecDNA) to create a new class of cancer medicines for tumors with high copy-number, focal gene amplifications. The company has developed technology to identify and characterize ecDNA-driven tumors and is using those tools to discover and validate novel cancer targets. Its initial programs are directed at high copy-number, focal gene amplification solid tumors, where ecDNA are believed to be primary drivers of growth, resistance, and recurrence. Leadership includes CEO Zachary Hornby and Chairman Jonathan Lim, and the scientific founders feature Paul Mischel and other academic leaders in cancer genomics and computational biology. Boundless Bio intends to exploit ecDNA’s unique vulnerabilities to develop targeted, proprietary therapies that counteract ecDNA-driven treatment evasion. The company completed a $46.4 million Series A financing to advance these efforts.

Participated · Series D · Apr 2021

Exscientia applies AI across target identification, drug design and patient selection to precision-engineer new medicines. Its platform integrates high-content phenomics, biophysics and deep learning to translate biological data into proprietary AI-driven molecule design. The company has advanced the first two fully AI-designed drugs into clinical trials and now reports over 20 active programs in its pipeline. Exscientia says it has progressed seven precision-designed projects from initiation to development candidate in an average of 12 months. Funding announced in the Series D will be used to advance its proprietary pipeline through clinical testing and to expand the technology platform toward autonomous drug design. The company maintains offices in Oxford, Miami, Osaka and Dundee. Exscientia is a clinical-stage pharmatech that uses artificial intelligence via its CentaurAI™ platform to design new small-molecule drugs. The company produced the first fully AI-designed drug to enter clinical trials and has advanced multiple candidates into preclinical testing. Exscientia also conducts drug discovery partnerships with Bristol Myers Squibb, Sanofi, Bayer and Dainippon Sumitomo, as well as several biotech companies. The $100 million Series C financing will be used to push the platform toward autonomous drug design, extend the proprietary pipeline into clinical trials, and expand biological analytics for target selection and portfolio development. The company employs over 100 people from more than 20 nations, about 60% of whom hold PhDs, and has doubled in size over the past year with plans to double again in 2021. Exscientia recently expanded into the US with operations in Miami and Boston and has been named among the fastest growing private biotech/pharmaceutical companies in the UK and in the Financial Times FT1000. Exscientia develops AI-driven drug-discovery platforms, chiefly Centaur Chemist and Centaur Biologist, to design and prioritise novel therapeutic compounds and targets. Centaur Chemist automatically designs and evolves compounds, including bispecific small molecules for dual-targeting, while Centaur Biologist applies knowledge graphs and deep learning to qualify targets at genome scale. The company says it pioneered use of AI to design a novel molecule to enter the clinic. A $4.2M (≈€3.44M) grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation will fund application of its Centaur platforms to identify targets and leads for malaria, tuberculosis and non-hormonal contraception. Exscientia was founded in 2012 and is headquartered in Oxford, with offices in Dundee, the USA, and Japan. It collaborates with leading pharmaceutical and life-sciences companies to build its own portfolio of innovative medicines. Exscientia uses artificial intelligence to discover and design small-molecule drugs, claiming its platform can accelerate the time from idea to viable drug candidates. Earlier this year the company said the first precision-engineered drug designed using AI entered Phase I human clinical trials for obsessive-compulsive disorder. The company is expanding its portfolio and pipeline and plans to bolster AI biology as part of its "full-stack capabilities." Exscientia also intends to accelerate international expansion, including building out its presence in the United States. It is working on COVID-19 antiviral treatments through a joint initiative with Calibr and Diamond Light Source. CEO and founder Prof. Andrew Hopkins emphasized the platform's ability to fast-track the R&D process. Exscientia is an Oxford, England-based artificial intelligence-driven drug discovery and design company. Its Centaur Chemist platform automatically designs and prioritizes novel compounds for synthesis and rapidly evolves compounds toward desired candidate criteria. The company collaborates with pharmaceutical and life sciences firms including GSK, Sanofi, Roche and Evotec. Led by CEO and founder Professor Andrew Hopkins and Executive Chairman Alex Snow, Exscientia uses AI to improve drug efficacy and productivity. Financially, the company completed a Series B financing and intends to use the proceeds to scale its pipeline and advance selected programmes toward clinical development.

Participated · Series A · Aug 2020

GI Windows Medical is a clinical-stage medical device company focused on developing a fundamental breakthrough in anastomoses technology for both delivery and tissue fusion. The company holds patented technology and was spun out of Beacon Endoscopic (acquired by Covidien in 2014). Led by President and CEO Brian Tinkham, GI Windows is advancing its product through clinical-stage development. The company raised $16.4M in a Series A-1 financing to support further product development and clinical studies. Proceeds also included investments from existing shareholders and new investors such as the Kennedy Trust and the Coleman Trust. The company is based in West Bridgewater, Massachusetts. GI Windows Corp is a clinical-stage, venture-backed medical device company developing patented anastomoses and tissue-fusion technology for next-generation clinical procedures. The company aims to deliver what it calls the first fundamental breakthrough in anastomoses technology in the past 40 years to address unmet clinical needs and large market opportunities. Proceeds from financing will be used to support further product development and clinical studies. GI Windows reports significant strides in R&D and clinical procedural development over the past 12 months, according to CEO Brian Tinkham. The company was spun out of Beacon Endoscopic (acquired by Covidien in 2014) and is headquartered in West Bridgewater, MA.