Led · Series A · Jul 2025

Dispatch Bio is developing the Flare platform, which uses a viral vector to deliver a novel, universal antigen (Flare) to target tumor cells and neutralize the immune-suppressive tumor environment. The platform is engineered to enable the immune system to identify and eliminate solid tumor cells while sparing healthy tissue. The company announced a total of $216 million in funding, including a recently closed Series A. Dispatch was founded in 2022 out of a collaboration with the Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy (PICI) and leverages technologies from the labs of Andy Minn, Carl June, Chris Garcia, and Kole Roybal. Leadership includes CEO Sabah Oney and a board and scientific advisory team composed of academic and industry figures. The funding will be used primarily to advance Dispatch’s therapeutic candidates into first-in-human clinical studies, with the first program expected to enter the clinic in 2026.

Participated · Series C · Sep 2024

Arsenal Biosciences develops programmable, autologous T cell therapies using precise CRISPR-mediated insertion of large synthetic DNA cassettes and logic gating to improve tumor targeting. Its full-stack R&D engine and nonviral clinical manufacturing approach aim to generate multifunctional T cell medicines and build a large DNA library of therapeutic integrated circuits. The company is advancing a pipeline that includes programs for ovarian, kidney, and prostate cancers and a collaboration with Bristol-Myers Squibb to co-develop additional solid-tumor candidates. ArsenalBio recently entered the clinic with AB-2100, a second T cell product candidate now in a Phase 1/2 trial for clear-cell renal cell carcinoma, which has received FDA Fast Track designation. The company plans to use new funding to advance lead programs through clinical development, scale manufacturing, and invest in tools and processes for identifying and developing new candidates. ArsenalBio is headquartered in South San Francisco, California. Arsenal Biosciences develops next-generation autologous T cell therapies for solid tumors using precise CRISPR insertion of large synthetic DNA sequences. Its platform generates multifunctional T cell medicines and the company is building an extensive DNA library of therapeutic 'integrated circuits' with logic gating and synthetic features to improve tumor targeting and therapeutic functions. ArsenalBio pairs a computationally driven approach with nonviral clinical manufacturing to pursue enhanced efficacy, safety, and broader access. The company is advancing a pipeline that includes a lead program, AB-1015, for ovarian cancer, with plans to seek FDA IND clearance and first patient dosing later this year. It also has early-stage candidates for kidney, prostate, and other cancer indications. ArsenalBio is headquartered in South San Francisco, California. ArsenalBio is building a programmable cell therapy platform to create more effective and accessible immune cell therapies, initially focused on cancer. The company integrates CRISPR-based genome engineering, scaled high-throughput target identification, synthetic biology, and machine learning to drive discovery and development. ArsenalBio aims to precisely insert significantly larger DNA payloads without viral vectors, encoding broader biological “software” to rewire immune cell circuitry. The approach targets both solid organ and hematologic cancers and seeks to improve efficacy, patient safety, provider costs, and market access. Leadership and scientific founders come from a consortium of academic medical and research institutions and include experienced industry executives in immuno-oncology, cell therapy, and genomics. ArsenalBio was founded in 2019 and is based in South San Francisco.

Led · Series A · Aug 2023

Georgiamune is a clinical-stage biotechnology company based in Gaithersburg, Md., focused on reprogramming immune signaling pathways to redirect the immune system against cancer and autoimmune diseases. The company announced FDA clearance of an IND for GIM-122, a dual-functioning monoclonal antibody. Georgiamune plans a first-in-human, open-label, phase 1/2 dose-escalation with enrichment and dose-expansion study to assess safety, tolerability, pharmacokinetics/pharmacodynamics and antitumor activity of GIM-122 as a single agent in adults with advanced solid malignancies who have failed checkpoint inhibitors. The company intends to initiate the phase 1/2 clinical trial in the second half of 2023. Led by founder and CEO Dr. Samir Khleif, Georgiamune will continue development of its first-in-class pipeline addressing high unmet needs in cancer and autoimmune diseases. The company recently completed a significant financing to support these clinical and discovery programs.

Led · Convertible Note · Jan 2023

Akamis Bio is a clinical-stage oncology company using its T-SIGn® Tumor-Specific Immuno-Gene platform to deliver immunotherapeutic proteins, biomolecules and transgene combinations to treat solid tumors. Its lead program, NG-350A, is an intravenously delivered tumor gene therapy designed to drive intratumoral expression of a CD40 agonist monoclonal antibody. NG-350A is being evaluated in ongoing Phase 1 studies and Akamis has commenced the Phase 1b FORTRESS proof-of-concept study in patients with locally advanced rectal cancer to assess clinical complete response rates with chemoradiotherapy. Data from the FORTITUDE first-in-human dose escalation study showed a consistent safety profile, tumor-selective delivery, replication and transgene expression and favorable PK/PD versus intratumoral injection. The company aims to deliver clinical proof-of-concept data for NG-350A over the next 12–18 months and to expand a pipeline of IV-delivered, tumor-targeted immunotherapies. Financially, Akamis announced $60 million in funding tied to the Series A Prime close and a strategic Greater China licensing agreement for NG-350A. Akamis Bio develops Tumor-Specific Immuno-Gene (T-SIGn®) therapeutics—viral vector–based tumor gene therapies that home to and replicate in primary and metastatic solid tumors after intravenous delivery. The platform drives intratumoral expression of multiple immunologically active biomolecules and therapeutic proteins; lead programs are NG-350A (CD40 agonist expression) and NG-641 (FAP‑CD3 bispecific plus CXCL9, CXCL10, and interferon‑alpha). Both NG-350A and NG-641 are in Phase 1 studies in patients with metastatic or advanced epithelial-derived solid tumors, being evaluated as monotherapy and in combination with checkpoint inhibitors. Across more than 200 patients treated to date, T-SIGn® therapeutics have shown a consistent safety profile and preliminary signals of activity (dose-dependent cytokine elevations and increased CD8+ tumor infiltrates). The company plans to initiate expansion cohort studies for NG-350A and NG-641 in early 2024 and will use new financing to advance those clinical programs. Akamis recently relaunched from PsiOxus Therapeutics, has established a US hub in Kendall Square, Cambridge, and maintains platform collaborations with BMS, Merck, and the Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy. PsiOxus Therapeutics is an Oxford-based development-stage oncolytic immuno-oncology company focused on its intravenously deliverable oncolytic virus, enadenotucirev, and the AbEnAd "armed" virus platform. Enadenotucirev has shown in phase I trials the ability to selectively infect tumour cells after intravenous infusion and to induce T-cell infiltration in colorectal tumours. The company will use the £25M Series C to conduct a phase I study combining enadenotucirev with an immune-checkpoint inhibitor in patients with metastatic colorectal cancer. The AbEnAd platform is being developed to arm enadenotucirev to force cancer cells to produce therapeutic antibodies (including anti-PD-L1 and anti-CTLA4 in preclinical studies) and can carry multiple payload types such as proteins, peptides and RNAi. The armed platform is in preclinical stage while the parent unarmed EnAd is in phase I/II clinical trials across tumour types. PsiOxus plans to progress a preferred internal candidate with the new funding and continue to seek partnerships for other applications. PsiOxus develops ColoAd1, an oncolytic vaccine designed to selectively destroy tumour cells at minute concentrations. The company is advancing ColoAd1 into a phase I/II clinical trial (OCTAVE) targeting platinum-resistant, recurrent ovarian cancer. OCTAVE will be the second clinical trial of ColoAd1 and is planned to assess more than 50 ovarian cancer patients at multiple UK cancer centres beginning in 2013. The company intends to use the newly awarded funding to initiate that clinical study. PsiOxus is led by CEO John Beadle and lists Imperial Innovations, Invesco Perpetual, Mercia Fund, Lundbeck Ventures and SR One among its portfolio backers. The company received a government-backed grant to support its clinical development efforts. PsiOxus Therapeutics is a development-stage biotech commercialising technologies generated in leading UK universities to address cancer and other unmet medical needs. Its lead candidate, ColoAd1, is a systemically administered oncolytic vaccine engineered to replicate in and kill cancer cells while sparing normal cells. The company describes ColoAd1 as a self-amplifying therapy with both direct tumor-killing and cancer vaccine effects. PsiOxus plans to advance ColoAd1 through a series of phase I and phase II clinical trials for colorectal and other solid tumours, with the first clinical trial due to start later this year. The company also has MT-102, an ACTA in phase II for cachexia and sarcopenia, and research-stage platforms PolySTAR and PolyMAP. The recent financing is intended to fund the transition of its cancer portfolio from early- to mid-stage clinical development.

Participated · Equity · Mar 2022

Affini-T’s proprietary platform selects and engineers T cells and combines highly active TCRs with synthetic biology switches to enhance T cell function, durability and tumor infiltration. The company is initially focused on targeting mutant variants of KRAS, a prevalent oncogenic driver mutation in solid tumors. Its platform aims to rewrite the rules of the tumor microenvironment to produce sustained clinical responses in hard-to-treat cancers such as lung, colorectal and pancreatic cancer. Affini-T plans to operationalize its discovery engine and drive multiple oncogene driver programs into the clinic while pursuing complementary technology licenses to bolster its cell therapy platform. To enable and accelerate growth the company has established a bi-coastal U.S. presence with research labs in Seattle and headquarters and manufacturing infrastructure in Boston. The management team and scientific advisory board include leaders from industry and top research institutions, underscoring the company’s emphasis on translational cellular engineering.