Prologue Medicines

Pictured: Businessmen shaking hands/iStock, Wasan Tita Life sciences investment firm Flagship Pioneering announced Wednesday that it has raised $3.6 billion with an eye toward creating and advancing around 25 new “breakthrough” companies. The raise consists of $2.6 billion that will go into Flagship Fund VIII, along with $1 billion in “side funds” which include sector-specific partnerships, according to the venture capital firm. Flagship will use the money to back companies working in AI, human health and sustainability. The investment strategy is in line with Flagship’s funding priorities in recent years. Founder and CEO Noubar Afeyan in a statement pointed out that in the last six years, the life sciences incubator has “pioneered AI-enabled platforms that transform drug discovery, speed up the drug development process and gain new insights into human health and sustainability.” “By leveraging the power and potential of generative AI, we’re embracing a future in which companies are created and expanded in ways we have not previously experienced, with the prospect for unprecedented impact,” Afeyan said. With Wednesday’s announcement, Flagship has now raised $6.4 billion in total funding since 2021. The VC also has aggregate operating capital of $10.9 billion and $14 billion of assets under management. Since its last fund in 2021, Flagship has poured $5.8 billion of equity capital into its ecosystem of companies. Flagship has created more than 100 companies to date, a roster that includes some prominent industry players such as Moderna, Sana Biotechnology and Denali Therapeutics. More recently, Flagship launched Prologue Medicines and its proprietary DELVE platform, which looks through the viral proteome for therapeutic molecules. Powered by advanced computational techniques, the start-up can then assess the potential of these viral proteins to treat diseases. Prologue debuted in May 2024 with $50 million in backing from the life sciences incubator. In June 2023, Flagship also unveiled Empress Therapeutics. Based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, the startup is focused on advancing small-molecule drugs by using the technological advancements from biologic drug development. Like Prologue, Empress entered the market with $50 million in funding from Flagship. Many of Flagship’s startups have since gone on to partner with Big Pharma players. Last month, Flagship-backed ProFound Therapeutics inked a potential $7 billion contract with Pfizer to develop first-in-class therapies for obesity. In May 2024, Flagship’s Metaphore Biotechnologies entered into an obesity agreement with Novo Nordisk, leveraging its molecular mimicry approach to advance next-generation treatments. Tristan Manalac is an independent science writer based in Metro Manila, Philippines. Reach out to him on LinkedIn or email him at tristan@tristanmanalac.com or tristan.manalac@biospace.com.

▎药明康德内容团队编辑据创鉴汇不完全统计，上周（5月6日至5月12日）全球大健康领域共披露融资事件29起，总额超70亿元。按照金额划分，亿元及以上融资16起。按照已披露的融资轮次划分，早期融资（B轮以前）16起，中后期融资（B轮及以后）10起。生物医药领域共15家公司获融资，涉及药物类型包含双功能抗体、靶向小分子药物、病毒蛋白组学药物等。#01Zenas BioPharma完成2亿美元C轮融资关键词：双功能抗体疗法研发公司最新融资：2亿美元C轮本轮投资机构：ArrowMark Partners、Enavate Sciences、Fairmount Funds、Federated Hermes Kaufmann Fund、Longitude Capital等5月7日，Zenas BioPharma宣布成功完成2亿美元的C轮优先股融资。获得的资金将用于公司主要候选疗法obexelimab的中后期临床开发。Obexelimab是一种双功能单克隆抗体，旨在同时靶向CD19和FcγRIIb，以抑制B细胞、浆母细胞和表达CD19的浆细胞的活性。Obexelimab的临床开发计划包括正在进行的针对IgG4相关疾病的3期注册性临床试验，该疗法已经在五项包括198名受试者的临床试验中显示出显著的临床疗效和安全性，尤其是在自身免疫性疾病方面。#02Bluejay Therapeutics完成1.82亿美元C轮融资关键词：传染病药物研发公司最新融资：1.82亿美元C轮本轮投资机构：Arkin Bio Ventures、Frazier Life Sciences、HBM Healthcare Investments、Novo Holdings等5月9日，Bluejay Therapeutics宣布完成1.82亿美元的C轮融资。获得资金将加速主打在研疗法BJT-778作为慢性丁型肝炎（HDV）治疗药物的临床开发，并支持该公司治疗慢性乙型肝炎（HBV）的其他潜在候选药物的进一步研发。BJT-778是一款潜在“best-in-class”的抗乙型肝炎表面抗原（HBsAg）的单克隆抗体，正被开发用于慢性HBV和HDV的治疗。此前该公司已宣布基于BJT-778治疗HDV的1/2期临床试验的早期结果，该药物已获得欧洲药品管理局（EMA）的PRIME认定。#03Attovia Therapeutics完成1.05亿美元B轮融资关键词：双特异性抗体疗法研发公司最新融资：1.05亿美元B轮本轮投资机构：EcoR1 Capital、Frazier Life Sciences、Goldman Sachs Alternatives、Illumina Ventures等5月9日，Attovia Therapeutics今日宣布完成1.05亿美元的B轮融资，使公司自2023年6月成立以来的总融资额达到1.65亿美元。所得资金将用于推进公司核心项目的初期临床开发，扩展公司在免疫学和炎症领域的研发管线，并进一步开发ATTOBODY技术平台。该公司的ATTOBODY平台通过专有的连接技术将两个与不同表位结合的抗体片段连接起来，构成双特异性生物制品。其主打在研产品ATTO-1310是一种潜在“first-in-class”，长半衰期的抗IL31 ATTOBODY。ATTO-1310目前正在进行支持IND申请的临床前研究，计划在2024年底前进入临床阶段，用于治疗特应性皮炎和其他瘙痒性疾病。#04Aardvark完成8500万美元融资关键词：小分子药物研发公司最新融资：8500万美元C轮本轮投资机构：Cantor Ventures、LG Technology Ventures、Laurion Capital Management、Prader-Willi Syndrome Association – USA、Silver Arc Private Capital等5月9日，Aardvark Therapeutics宣布完成8500万美元的超额认购C轮融资，该公司计划利用本次融资所得款项来完成其主打在研疗法ARD-101用于治疗普拉德-威利综合征（Prader-Willi syndrome，PWS）患者贪食症的临床试验，展示ARD-101在肥胖症治疗中与现有GLP-1疗法的互补作用机制，以及推进其他研发管线项目。ARD-101是一种强效苦味受体（TAS2R）激动剂，在单独使用或与现有GLP-1疗法联合使用时均已表现出降低饥饿感的能力。FDA已授予该药物治疗PWS的孤儿药资格和罕见儿科疾病资格。#05Prologue Medicines获5000万美元融资关键词：病毒蛋白组学药物开发公司最新融资：5000万美元A轮本轮投资机构：Flagship Pioneering5月7日，著名风投机构Flagship Pioneering推出了Prologue Medicines，这是一家利用病毒蛋白质组的治疗潜力来开发创新药物的公司。为了加速发展，Flagship承诺投资5000万美元，用以推进其DELVE平台，并利用其潜力开发针对免疫、肿瘤和代谢疾病的广泛药物管线。Prologue正在通过其DELVE平台革新药物发现过程，该平台结合了计算和高通量生物学技术，持续探索庞大的病毒蛋白质组。这一探索过程识别出病毒蛋白和它们的独特特征，并评估它们调节人体生理功能、治疗疾病的潜力。读者们请星标⭐创鉴汇，第一时间收到推送免责声明：药明康德内容团队专注介绍全球生物医药健康研究进展。本文仅作信息交流之目的，文中观点不代表药明康德立场，亦不代表药明康德支持或反对文中观点。本文也不是治疗方案推荐。如需获得治疗方案指导，请前往正规医院就诊。版权说明：本文由药明康德内容团队根据公开资料整理编辑，欢迎个人转发至朋友圈，谢绝媒体或机构未经授权以任何形式转发/复制至其他平台。转发授权请在「创鉴汇」微信公众号留言联系我们。更多数据内容推荐点击“在看”，分享创鉴汇健康新动态