A company developing therapies around a family of receptors that control a wide variety of cellular processes has raised a new Series B funding round.
Waltham, Massachusetts-based Morphic Therapeutic said Tuesday that it raised $80 million to finance IND-enabling studies and clinical trials of its oral integrin therapeutics starting next year. The round was led by Omega Funds and Novo Holdings, with participation from new investors Invus and EcoR1 Capital, along with existing Series A investors. SR One and Pfizer Venture Investments led the $51.5 million Series A round, which the company announced in June 2016; Omega Funds and AbbVie Ventures participated, along with founding investors Polaris Partners, T.A. Springer and Schrödinger Inc., as well as ShangPharma Investment Group.
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“With compelling preclinical data across a number of programs, we are accelerating our advance into the clinic,” Morphic CEO Praveen Tipirneni said in a statement.
Most human cells express integrins on the surface, but the proteins’ pathology contributes to a wide range of human diseases, including platelet disorders, atherosclerosis, cancers, osteoporosis, fibrosis, diabetic neuropathy of the kidney, macular degeneration and autoimmune and chronic inflammation diseases, according to Morphic’s website. While there have been several injectable integrin inhibitors that have won Food and Drug Administration approval, Morphic’s goal is to develop drugs in the class that are orally available.
The company’s development is focusing in particular on fibrosis and immuno-oncology, autoimmune disorders and vascular disorders. In fibrosis and cancers, several members of the alpha-V integrin subfamily can directly activate the cytokine TGF-beta, which in turn activates fibroblasts in fibrotic diseases and suppress the immune system in the microenvironments of tumors, according to Morphic’s website. Meanwhile, alpha-4 and beta-2 integrins control interactions that allow immune cells to reach sites of inflammation, contributing to autoimmune diseases. And alpha-V and beta-1 integrins control growth of blood vessels and vasculature, with their dysregulation contributing to heart, kidney and eye diseases, as well as solid tumors.
Most approved integrin inhibitors are monoclonal antibodies used to treat autoimmune diseases and acute coronary syndrome. These include Biogen’s Tysabri (natalizumab) and Johnson & Johnson’s ReoPro (abciximab). However, one integrin inhibitor, Genentech’s Raptiva (efalizumab), was withdrawn from the market starting in 2009 due to too many patients developing infections, particularly progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy, or PML, a deadly brain infection that stems from immune suppression. Raptiva had previously been used to treat autoimmune diseases.
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