Goldfinch Bio, a Cambridge, MA-based company focused on discovering and developing precision therapies for patients with kidney disease, raised $55m in Series A financing.
The round was led by founding investor Third Rock Ventures.
Goldfinch has developed a product engine that integrates genetic, genomic and biological tools to identify and validate novel drug targets and inform treatment strategies focused on molecularly defined patient groups.
The foundation of its approach will be a comprehensive patient registry designed to collect and integrate genomic and deep phenotypic data, empowering the discovery of molecular drivers of kidney disease. Using biological tools, Goldfinch will focus on actionable targets for intervention, and develop precision therapies for genetically stratified patient groups.
The company will initially focus on indications where there is a known genetic component, including focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS) and polycystic kidney disease (PKD), two conditions for which there are no FDA-approved therapies. Beyond these orphan indications, Goldfinch will also apply a molecular understanding of disease mechanisms to identify and treat relevant subgroups among the broader population of patients with chronic kidney disease.
Goldfinch is led by Abbie Celniker, Ph.D., a partner at Third Rock Ventures and interim Chief Executive Officer, Peter Mundel, M.D., Senior Vice President of Biology, Jean-Christophe Harmange, Ph.D., Senior Vice President of Drug Discovery, Phil Reilly, M.D., J.D., Clinical geneticist and Third Rock venture partner, interim Chief Medical Officer, and Neil Exter, Third Rock partner, interim Chief Operating Officer.
The company’s scientific founders are:
– Joseph Bonventre, M.D., Ph.D., Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School
– Friedhelm Hildebrandt, M.D., Boston Children’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School
– Daniel MacArthur, Ph.D., Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School
– Peter Mundel, M.D., Senior Vice President of Biology, Goldfinch Bio
– Stefan Somlo, M.D., Yale School of Medicine
In addition, Anna Greka, M.D., Ph.D., of the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, will serve as a scientific advisor to the company.
FinSMEs
16/12/2016