CAMP4 Therapeutics, a Cambridge, MA-based biotechnology company harnessing the power of RNA to restore healthy protein expression, closed a $100m Series B funding round.
The round was led by Enavate Sciences, a portfolio company created by Patient Square Capital, with participation from a large national managed care organization and the Gaingels, an LGBTQIA+/Allies investment syndicate supporting diversity in venture capital, along with other unnamed investors, as well as existing investors 5AM Ventures, Polaris Partners, Northpond Ventures, Andreessen Horowitz, The Kraft Group, and others. In conjunction with the financing, James Boylan, Chief Executive Officer of Enavate Sciences, will join CAMP4’s Board of Directors.
The company intends to use the funds to advance its lead regRNA programs and accelerate the expansion its regRNA Actuating Platform.
Led by Josh Mandel-Brehm, CEO, CAMP4 is pioneering a novel approach to programmable therapeutics.
The company’s approach targets regulatory RNAs (“regRNAs”), considered to be part of the “Dark Side of the Genome,” the 98% of our genome that does not encode proteins. Through breakthroughs in molecular biology, it is now known that regRNAs control the expression of nearby protein-encoding genes. CAMP4’s RNA Actuating Platform (RAP™) maps regRNAs associated with every protein-coding gene in any cell type, and its programmable antisense oligonucleotide (ASO) therapeutics target the controlling regRNAs to upregulate gene expression to treat disease. This approach is applicable to a range of genetic diseases in which tunable increases in gene output can lead to meaningful therapeutic outcomes.
The company expects to enter the clinic with its lead candidate to treat Dravet syndrome by mid-2023. The financing round will further support the advancement of CAMP4’s drug candidates, including progressing its urea cycle disorder program into the clinic and continuing to build an expansive pipeline of RNA actuators. While the company is initially focusing on treating diseases of the central nervous system and liver, its platform has the potential to address a broad range of genetic indications across multiple tissues, with a focus on haploinsufficient diseases.
FinSMEs
20/07/2022