Participated · Series B · Jan 2022

Metagenomi is described in the article as a gene editing startup. The company recently completed an initial public offering. That IPO raised $94 million. The article does not provide details on the company’s product pipeline, operating metrics, investors, founding year, or location. The mention of Metagenomi appeared as a brief item in a biotech news roundup. Metagenomi develops next-generation gene editing systems and a proprietary metagenomics-powered discovery platform to find and adapt novel cellular machinery for therapeutic use. Its toolbox aims to produce ultra-small, highly specific editors with reduced immune risk for in vivo applications. The company is advancing wholly owned lead therapeutic programs through preclinical development toward clinical proof-of-concept and has initiated nonhuman primate in vivo gene editing studies. Metagenomi plans to nominate additional therapeutic targets to expand its pipeline using an automated discovery engine and its versatile gene editing toolbox. It cites successful partnerships with Moderna and Ionis Pharmaceuticals and reports a healthy cash runway to support near-term milestones. The company states its goal is to develop potentially curative therapeutics that can edit DNA where current technologies cannot. Metagenomi leverages a proprietary metagenomics-powered discovery platform to identify and adapt naturally evolved gene editing systems that are ultra-small, efficient, and highly specific. The company develops a toolbox of next-generation gene editing systems intended to enable edits where current technologies cannot, with applications across in vivo and ex vivo therapeutic programs. Metagenomi plans to advance its lead gene editing programs through preclinical development and into the clinic and to expand its manufacturing, automation, and AI infrastructure. Its pipeline targets metabolic, cardiovascular, and CNS diseases, as well as immuno-oncology, and the company also intends to make its systems available to partners. The firm emphasizes decreased risk of immune response and high specificity as differentiators for its platforms. Financially, the company has raised a total of $300 million to date. Metagenomi develops proprietary CRISPR-based gene‑editing systems discovered via a metagenomics-powered discovery platform that reveals novel cellular machinery from otherwise unknown organisms. The company adapts these naturally evolved systems into therapeutic tools for partners and to fuel its own pipeline of potentially curative medicines. Metagenomi says its toolbox enables editing where current technologies cannot and aims to match the best technology to unmet medical needs. The recent Series A extension will support expansion of the team and development of the company’s therapeutic pipeline. Leadership highlights plans to advance both in vivo and ex vivo therapies toward the clinic. The company frames its goal as revolutionizing gene editing to benefit patients worldwide.

Led · Equity · Jan 2014

Onkaido Therapeutics is a standalone unit created by Moderna to develop mRNA-based cancer therapies. It launched with $20M in committed capital from Moderna to advance an initial portfolio of 15 pre-clinical drug candidates in apoptosis, central regulatory nodes and immunotherapy. Several of those candidates are already under evaluation in in vivo disease models. The standalone structure is intended to accelerate the development and delivery of mRNA Therapeutics for oncology patients. Stephen Hoge was named founding chief executive officer and Peter F. Smith founding chief scientific officer. Onkaido leverages Moderna's mRNA Therapeutics platform and corporate support from its parent company.