Alexis Borisy’s Post

The #biotech entrepreneurial journey can be equal parts frustrating, exhilarating, and rewarding. In the early stages, it's essential to keep an eye on scalability and lean on partners who can help you reach your next milestone quickly and cost-effectively. Our customers attest that RoosterBio can be a powerful resource for #advancedtherapy startups by providing: ✅ Scalable and economical raw materials to take you from bench to clinic ✅ Technical guidance along the way to optimize your chance of success ✅ Expert-led services to advance your research quickly and efficiently with reduced overhead cost Learn more: https://lnkd.in/eMGMeNV3 #advancedtherapies #regenerativemedicine #gotomarket #biotechinnovation #startup

LucidQuest Strategic Insights (lqventures.com) >>> Gene&Cell Therapy >> Houston startup March Biosciences raises $28M Series A to get CAR-T into Phase 2: A nimble Houston startup has raised a concise $28.4 million Series A to start a mid-stage trial. The company, named March Biosciences, will enter Phase 2 early next year with an autologous CAR-T cell therapy for relapsed and refractory CD5+ T cell lymphoma, it said Wednesday morning. CEO Sarah Hein told Endpoints News its total financing to date of $51 million won’t fully fund the upcoming Phase 2, which will take place at multiple sites in the US. The candidate, MB-105, went through a Phase 1 at Baylor College of Medicine and showed an overall response rate of 44%, with two complete responses, according to a publication in Blood in March. “The people who understand how difficult [T cell lymphoma] is understand that you typically just don’t see responders, much less long-term survivors. So that led to a lot of excitement,” Hein said. Mission BioCapital and 4BIO Capital led March’s Series A. Austin-based KdT Ventures also took part, as did Alexandria Venture Investments, Modi Ventures, Mansueto Investments, TMC Venture Fund, Cancer Focus Fund, Small Ventures and Volnay Therapeutics. Volnay is a stealth-stage cell therapy venture studio led by Stefan Wildt and Nebojsa Milovic. March said it will work with Volnay to create manufacturing processes for MB-105 for both clinical development and potential commercialization. Hein pointed out Wildt and Milovic’s work on helping launch Novartis’ cell therapy Kymriah and helping build the “cell engine at Takeda.” The four-employee startup operates out of Portal Innovations, a life sciences investor and lab operator. Hein declined to comment on the future path for its other pipeline programs, including CD7 autologous CAR-T MB-107, allogeneic multi-CAR MB-112 and MB-301, whose target is undisclosed. Hein co-founded the company in 2022 after helping recruit researchers to the cancer therapeutics accelerator at Texas Medical Center Innovation. Prior to that, she was VP of operations at another Houston cancer biotech called Courier Therapeutics, which was bought by Valo Health for up to $510 million in 2021, according to her LinkedIn bio. March traces back to chief scientific officer Maksim Mamonkin and Malcolm Brenner, a Baylor professor behind other CAR-T projects, including collaborations with Celgene and bluebird bio. Brenner was also involved in now-shuttered Singapore cell therapy company Tessa Therapeutics. #lucidquest #genetherapy #celltherapy

SFBN Trending News: Jupiter takes off with $70M fund for cancer biotechs https://lnkd.in/gx2p-_Yg Venture capital fund Jupiter Bioventures is taking off with $70 million for a portfolio of cancer-adjacent biotech startups, or what Jupiter has dubbed its system of “moons.” The company’s founders, Mission BioCapital and Mayo Clinic, [...]

Gene&Cell Therapy >> Houston startup March Biosciences raises $28M Series A to get CAR-T into Phase 2: A nimble Houston startup has raised a concise $28.4 million Series A to start a mid-stage trial. The company, named March Biosciences, will enter Phase 2 early next year with an autologous CAR-T cell therapy for relapsed and refractory CD5+ T cell lymphoma, it said Wednesday morning. CEO Sarah Hein told Endpoints News its total financing to date of $51 million won’t fully fund the upcoming Phase 2, which will take place at multiple sites in the US. The candidate, MB-105, went through a Phase 1 at Baylor College of Medicine and showed an overall response rate of 44%, with two complete responses, according to a publication in Blood in March. “The people who understand how difficult [T cell lymphoma] is understand that you typically just don’t see responders, much less long-term survivors. So that led to a lot of excitement,” Hein said. Mission BioCapital and 4BIO Capital led March’s Series A. Austin-based KdT Ventures also took part, as did Alexandria Venture Investments, Modi Ventures, Mansueto Investments, TMC Venture Fund, Cancer Focus Fund, Small Ventures and Volnay Therapeutics. Volnay is a stealth-stage cell therapy venture studio led by Stefan Wildt and Nebojsa Milovic. March said it will work with Volnay to create manufacturing processes for MB-105 for both clinical development and potential commercialization. Hein pointed out Wildt and Milovic’s work on helping launch Novartis’ cell therapy Kymriah and helping build the “cell engine at Takeda.” The four-employee startup operates out of Portal Innovations, a life sciences investor and lab operator. Hein declined to comment on the future path for its other pipeline programs, including CD7 autologous CAR-T MB-107, allogeneic multi-CAR MB-112 and MB-301, whose target is undisclosed. Hein co-founded the company in 2022 after helping recruit researchers to the cancer therapeutics accelerator at Texas Medical Center Innovation. Prior to that, she was VP of operations at another Houston cancer biotech called Courier Therapeutics, which was bought by Valo Health for up to $510 million in 2021, according to her LinkedIn bio. March traces back to chief scientific officer Maksim Mamonkin and Malcolm Brenner, a Baylor professor behind other CAR-T projects, including collaborations with Celgene and bluebird bio. Brenner was also involved in now-shuttered Singapore cell therapy company Tessa Therapeutics. #lucidquest #genetherapy #celltherapy

🌟 Senseera Raises $7.1M to Revolutionize Liquid Biopsy Technology! 🌟 Senseera, an Israeli biotech startup, has successfully closed a $7.1 million seed funding round led by Lightspeed Venture Partners! 🚀 This funding will advance their GEM BIOMARKERS™ liquid biopsy platform, which uses cfChIP-seq technology to decode cell-specific gene expression from a simple blood draw. This innovative approach provides biopsy-level precision with the convenience of a non-invasive blood test, offering detailed molecular insights for diagnosing and monitoring diseases. Senseera's technology has the potential to transform diagnostics in oncology, immunology, and liver disease management2. Stay tuned for more updates as Senseera continues to push the boundaries of precision medicine! #Senseera #Biotech #Funding #LiquidBiopsy #Innovation #PrecisionMedicine https://shorter.me/mKNF0/

SFBN Feed: Jupiter takes off with $70M fund for cancer biotechs https://lnkd.in/gVESrKBu Venture capital fund Jupiter Bioventures is taking off with $70 million for a portfolio of cancer-adjacent biotech startups, or what Jupiter has dubbed its system of “moons.” The company’s founders, Mission BioCapital and Mayo Clinic, [...] #BayArea #SanFrancisco #Biotech #Lifescience #News

🎙 We recently had the pleasure of interviewing Arby Leonian, CEO and co-founder of Thermaiscan! 🤝 Learn more about Thermaiscan's mission, challenges, needs, and exciting future milestones in this interview conducted by Dr Robin Vicken Ohannessian MD MPH PhD. 🤩 Don't miss out on this insightful discussion about their innovative startup! #Innovation #Startup #HealthTech #Thermaiscan #TechTalk #Vickino

Two words that describe Forbes' 100 #startups to watch:

We created SCI Ventures to catalyze new cures for paralysis, with the backing of the leading foundations in the US, UK and EU. To invest in the most promising start-ups and bring more options - and hope, to 15m people living with a spinal cord injury. As 2025 begins, I could not be prouder of what we have achieved together for our first year of operations : 1. Impact - reviewed 200+ deal opportunities, conducted diligence on 60+, and built a portfolio of 5 companies: ONWARD Medical, Axonis Therapeutics, Sania Therapeutics, Augmental, and Stealth (AI for drug discovery). Already showing strong traction: ONWARD received FDA approval in December - the world's first non-invasive stimulation system proven to improve strength/sensation, while Axonis completed a $115m Series A to take their drug to the clinic - potentially a first commercial drug available in the next few years! 2. Fundraising - raised over $30m from leading Foundations and philanthropy-minded families. Our evergreen model ensures lasting impact as we re-invest 100% of our proceeds into the next generation of therapies. 3. Catalyst investor- attracted an additional $3 for every $1 we invested - we even reached $5 in our most recent deal - that's $10m of private capital unlocked via a $2m investment from SCIV! We are building a unique community driven by the same objective - to accelerate the development of next-generation treatments for paralysis. A big thank you to our team (Roman Rothaermel, Hannah Franklin, PhD), backing Foundations (Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation Wings for Life - Spinal Cord Research Foundation Spinal Research Promobilia Foundation Shepherd Center ), to the philanthropists believing in our mission, our scientific board and investment committee ... the list goes on! Happy New Year everyone! Follow SCI Ventures for more updates

In the technology sector, the current landscape presents a tale of haves and have-nots. According to Hunt, there is available capital, but a significant portion of it remains locked up, hindering its flow to early startups through VCs. This situation has resulted in a scarcity of IPOs, indicating a challenging environment for emerging companies. Despite these challenges, there is optimism within ARM that the situation might improve. Hunt expresses hope that with the anticipated decrease in interest rates and other stabilizing factors, the gears will gradually begin to unlock, potentially easing the funding constraints faced by startups. #Technology #Startups #VentureCapital #IPOs #MarketTrends #OnTheMessa #CellAndGeneTherapy