Wisconsin biotech startup FluGen just reeled in a $12 million Series A for its “universal” flu vaccine – in that it’s meant to help protect against influenza strains that have mutated from those in the yearly vaccine.
The inoculation, called “Redee Flu,” is a single replication, live influenza virus that infects cells, expresses influenza RNA and proteins, but doesn’t replicate and produce any new viruses. This induces an immune response in preclinical models, FluGen said in a statement.
The funding will go towards completing the company’s first flu vaccine clinical trial next year. FluGen will also prep a vaccine candidate that protects against four strains of the influenza virus.
When Investment Rhymes with Canada
Canada has a proud history of achievement in the areas of science and technology, and the field of biomanufacturing and life sciences is no exception.
The funding round comes from Venture Investors, the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation, the State of Wisconsin Investment Board, and others.
Notably, it’s brought on board two new directors: Dan Stinchcomb, cofounder of Inviragen, the vaccine maker that was acquired two years back by Takeda for $250 million, and C. Boyd Clarke, former CEO of Aviron, which was sold to MedImmune in 2011 for $1.5 billion.
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