Sporos Bioventures, LLC, a Houston, TX-based company formed to catalyze the development of therapies that target novel disease mechanisms in cancer and immune diseases, closed a $38.1m Series A financing.
The company plans to use the proceeds to support the development of lead assets across its portfolio and build out the team.
Sporos identifies novel disease mechanisms and strategically deploys talent, capital and access to operational resources to catalyze the development of breakthrough medicines. Its current pipeline is diversified across four entities and includes multiple clinical-stage candidates that are being investigated for the treatment of multiple indications in cancer and immune disease.
Its most advanced company, Tvardi, is developing small molecule inhibitors to STAT3, a key regulatory protein integral to the survival and immune evasion of cancer cells as well as to the pathogenesis of many inflammatory and fibrotic diseases. Early clinical studies have shown that Tvardi’s lead asset in cancer, TTI-101, is well tolerated and has clinical activity across a broad range of tumors including multiple durable responses.
Sporos’ founding team includes
- Ronald DePinho, M.D., Ph.D. (hon), professor of Cancer Biology and past president of MD Anderson;
- Sporos Director Peter Feinberg, co-founder of BridgeBio Pharma, founding partner at Boxcar Partners and advisor and board member of Immuneering Corporation;
- Chief Scientific Officer Jeno Gyuris, Ph.D., an experienced biotech executive in oncology drug discovery and development; and
- Sporos Director Alex Cranberg, an entrepreneur and business leader with strong ties to the Texas and Houston biotech ecosystem through his time on the University of Texas Board of Regents.
In parallel to the Series A, Michael Wyzga, M.B.A., former chief financial officer of Genzyme, joins the team as Founding CFO.
FinSMEs
06/05/2021