Startups, BioPharma

Google backs Stanford cancer immunotherapy startup in $75M round

Forty Seven has licensed more than 100 patents from Stanford University that are related to the company's lead therapeutic, monoclonal antibody Hu5F9-G4, as well as a number of novel immune checkpoint inhibitors and cancer-specific antibodies.

immunotherapyGoogle’s venture arm is part of a Silicon Valley venture syndicate backing new Stanford University immuno-oncology spinout Forty Seven – with a stunning $75 million Series A.

The work of Stanford’s Irv Weissman is at the root of this new startup. In 2009, Weissman’s team discovered the CD47 signal can induce macrophages to attack tumor cells – and with Forty Seven, plans to commercialize an anti-CD47 monoclonal antibody. It’s already being tested in Phase 1 clinical trials for relapsed or refractory solid tumors and acute myeloid leukemia.

The funding will allow Forty Seven to complete the current clinical trials, as well as launch more this year to study its lead program in combination therapy. The company also plans to advance a number of preclinical programs towards IND.

Forty Seven has licensed more than 100 patents from Stanford University that are related to the company’s lead therapeutic, monoclonal antibody Hu5F9-G4, as well as a number of novel immune checkpoint inhibitors and cancer-specific antibodies, the company said in a release.

The round was led by Lightspeed Venture Partners and Sutter Hill Ventures, with funding from Clarus Ventures and GV (formerly Google Ventures). The company’s preclinical studies were funded by the California Institute of Regenerative Medicine and Ludwig Cancer Research.

The CD47-targeting monoclonal antibody Hu5F9-G4 has been seen, preclinically, to attack a number of human tumor types when used alone as a therapeutic agent. When used in combination therapy, it deployed macrophages to work as effector cells to boost the efficacy of cancer-specific antibodies, Forty Seven said.

“Targeting CD47 integrates adaptive and innate immune systems, creating synergy with existing cancer-specific antibodies like rituximab, cetuximab and trastuzamab through ADCP, and potentially with T-cell checkpoint inhibitors through cross-presentation,” Weissman said in the statement.

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