• Suono Bio

  Led · Series A · Jul 2021

  Suono Bio develops an ultra-rapid, localized delivery platform that enables administration of small molecules, biologics, nucleic acids and gene therapies without encapsulation. The technology was developed in Professor Robert Langer’s laboratory at MIT and the company was founded by Professor Langer, Professor Giovanni Traverso and Dr. Carl Schoellhammer. Suono Bio is advancing lead programs in inflammatory bowel disease and is developing a first product for ulcerative colitis that the company intends to ready for human trials. Proceeds from the recent financing will be used to complete development of that first product and expand the company’s pipeline. The company has previously received strategic investments from FUJIFILM Corporation and NGK Spark Plug Co., Ltd., and its platform has been described in publications including Nature and Science Translational Medicine. Suono Bio is based in Foxborough, Massachusetts. Suono Bio is developing a second-generation platform for ultra-rapid, formulation-independent delivery of therapeutics to the gastrointestinal tract, including small molecules, biologics, nucleic acids and gene therapies. The technology was developed in the laboratory of MIT Institute Professor Robert Langer. The company was founded by Professor Robert Langer, Professor Giovanni Traverso and Dr. Carl Schoellhammer. Suono Bio says the platform enables rapid, local administration of therapeutics without the need for encapsulation. Management indicated the strategic investment will help advance the platform toward clinical development. The company previously announced a strategic investment from FUJIFILM in 2018 and had seed funding from The Engine in 2017. Suono Bio is developing a second-generation platform for ultra-rapid, localized administration of therapeutics without the need for encapsulation. The platform is formulation-independent and designed to deliver small molecules, biologics, nucleic acids and gene therapies at clinically-relevant doses. The company has demonstrated pre-clinical activity across a range of diseases using diverse therapeutics. Suono Bio leverages technology developed in the laboratory of MIT Institute Professor Robert Langer and is focused on inflammatory-mediated diseases. Leadership and founders include Professor Langer, Dr. Giovanni Traverso, Amy Schulman (executive chair) and Dr. Carl Schoellhammer (founding CEO). The company is backed by Polaris Partners, MIT’s The Engine and MedTech Venture Partners and is based in Cambridge, Mass. Suono Bio develops ultrasound-based drug-delivery technology that uses low-frequency ultrasound to create bubbles in a liquid drug solution that implode and generate jets to push drugs into targeted tissues. The system pairs a device that emits low-frequency ultrasound with drugs in liquid form to physically propel therapeutics to specific sites, a process the CEO says should be pain-free. Suono is initially focusing on therapies for gastrointestinal diseases, where localized delivery could avoid degradation in the digestive tract or the need for systemic injections. The company also envisions enabling delivery of delicate DNA or RNA therapies that are otherwise hard to administer. Suono recently closed a seed round worth a few million dollars with participation from MIT's new $170 million fund The Engine and Polaris. The funding will be used to prepare the technology for human trials, which CEO Carl Schoellhammer (age 30) expects to begin within the next 12 months.

• C4 Therapeutics

  Participated · Series B · Jun 2020

  C4 Therapeutics pioneers a class of small-molecule drugs that selectively destroy disease-causing proteins via targeted protein degradation using the cell's innate machinery. The company emphasizes advantages of degraders over traditional inhibitors, including potential for higher potency, reduced resistance, and greater selectivity. C4T has invested heavily in its TORPEDO™ platform, which combines a chemistry engine, proprietary assays, high-throughput screening, and predictive modeling to accelerate discovery and design of drug candidates. The company plans to use proceeds to advance multiple degrader candidates to human proof-of-concept, filing its first IND by the end of this year and targeting four drug candidates in the clinic by the end of 2022. C4T recently closed a $170 million financing (a $150 million Series B and $20 million venture debt) to support these plans. The company says the round was oversubscribed and attracted top-tier life-science investors. C4 Therapeutics is developing a new class of targeted protein degradation (TPD) therapeutics built on its proprietary Degronimid™ platform. The Degronimid technology, pioneered in the Bradner Lab at Dana-Farber and described in Science, uses small-molecule adapters to recruit the ubiquitin/proteasome system and rapidly degrade disease-causing proteins. The platform is positioned to target previously undruggable proteins and to reduce the potential for drug resistance. C4 has executed a worldwide-exclusive license with Dana-Farber for Degronimid applications and plans to advance multiple proprietary and partnered drug programs. The company announced a $73 million Series A financing to fund its early development and build its team. C4 will be located at Mass Innovation Labs in Kendall Square, Cambridge, and has appointed Jason Fisherman, M.D., as CEO to lead clinical and business development.

• Frequency Therapeutics

  Participated · Series C · Jul 2019

  Frequency Therapeutics is a clinical-stage biotech harnessing its Progenitor Cell Activation (PCA) platform to activate progenitor cells in situ and regenerate functional tissue. Its lead program, FX-322, is a potential first-in-class regenerative therapeutic targeting hearing restoration and is moving into a Phase 2a study for sensorineural hearing loss. The company plans to use proceeds from its recent financing to support FX-322’s clinical development and to advance discovery programs in other therapeutic areas including muscle, gastrointestinal, skin, and bone. Frequency recently announced a collaboration with Astellas that included an $80 million upfront payment and up to $545 million in potential milestone payments to support global development and ex‑US commercialization of FX-322. The company emphasizes reducing regenerative‑medicine complexity by leveraging innate biology with small molecules rather than cell or gene therapies. Frequency is based in Woburn, Massachusetts and is positioning its PCA platform as a source of new treatments across multiple degenerative-disease indications. Frequency Therapeutics is a clinical-stage biotechnology company based in Woburn, Mass., developing a new class of small-molecule drugs that stimulate dormant progenitor cells (Progenitor Cell Activation, PCA) to repair diseased or damaged tissue. Its lead candidate, FX-322, targets sensorineural hearing loss and is being advanced for hearing regeneration. The company planned to move FX-322 into Phase 2 studies in 2019 and expected top-line Phase 1/2 results in the first half of 2019. Frequency highlights that its PCA approach enables native tissue regeneration without genetic modification or removal of cells, avoiding risks of genetic engineering and manufacturing challenges of cell therapy. Proceeds from the financing will support advancement of FX-322 and continued expansion of the PCA Regeneration pipeline into new therapeutic applications. Frequency has raised a total of $87 million to date. Frequency Therapeutics develops small‑molecule drugs that transiently activate progenitor cells using its proprietary Progenitor Cell Activation (PCA™) platform; its lead program targets chronic noise‑induced hearing loss by stimulating regrowth of inner ear sensory hair cells. The company holds a worldwide exclusive license to related intellectual property from MIT and Partners Healthcare and cites foundational work by co‑founders Robert Langer and Jeffrey Karp. Frequency was founded in 2015 and lists David Lucchino as co‑founder, president and CEO. It plans to move its lead program into the clinic in the next 12–18 months and is positioning PCA for additional indications including skin disorders, muscle regeneration and gastrointestinal diseases. Financially, Frequency closed a $32 million Series A to support clinical development, with participation from U.S. and international investors.

No current team members are available.