Participated · Series A · Jun 2021

Vita Therapeutics develops iPSC-based cellular therapeutics aimed at repairing and replacing defective muscle cells and creating cancer immunotherapies. Its lead programs include VTA-100 for LGMD2A (in IND-enabling studies), VTA-120 for FSHD, and VTA-300, a CAR-based cancer immunotherapy. VTA-100 and VTA-120 are designed as autologous treatments combining gene correction with iPSC technology; the company intends to pursue a dual strategy beginning with autologous cells and later moving to a universal hypoimmunogenic cell line. Vita is working with partners including PanCella, the Wyss Institute, and Johns Hopkins University to advance its programs. The company aims to file Investigational New Drug applications for VTA-100 within the next 18 months. Financially, Vita completed a $31 million Series B and has raised $66 million since inception. Vita Therapeutics is a cell engineering company that uses induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) technology and genetic engineering to develop autologous and universal hypoimmunogenic cellular therapies for muscular dystrophies. Its lead program, VTA-100, combines gene correction with iPSC-derived muscle stem cells and is undergoing IND-enabling studies for limb-girdle muscular dystrophy (LGMD) 2A/R1. A second program, VTA-200, is a genetically engineered hypoimmunogenic iPSC-derived treatment intended to address multiple muscular dystrophies, and the company is also developing VTA-300 (cell type undisclosed). Vita plans to complete IND-enabling studies for VTA-100, submit an IND to the FDA, manufacture cells for clinical evaluation, and recruit patients for its first trial. The company follows a dual manufacturing strategy—starting autologously before moving to a universal hypoimmunogenic cell line—and was founded in 2019 out of Johns Hopkins University and the Kennedy Krieger Institute. Vita is a Cambrian Biopharma affiliate and is based in Baltimore, Maryland. The oversubscribed $32 million Series A will fund completion of IND-enabling work, cell manufacturing, patient recruitment, and further development of VTA-200 and VTA-300.