Clasp Therapeutics, a Cambridge, MA-based biotechnology company that develops immuno-oncology therapies using T cell engagers (TCEs), raised $150M in funding.
The round was led by Catalio Capital Management, Third Rock Ventures and Novo Holdings, with participation from Vivo Capital, Cure Ventures, Blackbird BioVentures, Pictet Alternative Advisors, American Cancer Society’s Bright Edge and Alexandria Venture Investments. As part of the financing, Ray Camahort, Partner in the Venture Investments group at Novo Holdings U.S., and Jack Nielsen, Managing Partner of Vivo Capital, joined the Board of Directors.
The company intends to use the funds to expand operations and its R&D.
Led by CEO Robert Ross, Clasp is developing modular TCEs tailored to each patient’s immune system that are directed to common oncogenic driver mutations, resulting in off-the-shelf, antibody-like medicines that can specifically target a wide variety of hard-to-treat tumor types. Its platform identifies mutation-associated neoantigens and develops TCEs that can selectively bind HLA (human leukocyte antigen)-presented peptides derived from these oncogenic drivers.
The company is leveraging advances made by its scientific founders at Johns Hopkins University, including cancer geneticist and HHMI investigator Bert Vogelstein, M.D., and immuno-oncology pioneer Drew Pardoll, M.D., Ph.D., who have envisioned a new approach to single out cancer cells for destruction by the immune system. The researchers’ structure-driven understanding of human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-antibody interactions enables the engineering of advanced TCEs that can precisely target common oncogenic mutations with exquisite specificity.
FinSMEs
20/03/2024