Healthcare Private Placement and M&A Transactions Review Week Ending November 19, 2023

VectorY Therapeutics: The company raised EUR 129 million of Series A venture funding in a deal led by Forbion and EQT Life Sciences on November 13, 2023. MRL Ventures Fund, Insight Partners, ALS Investment Fund, BioGeneration Ventures, and other undisclosed investors also participated in the round. The company is a developer of a medical platform designed to combine the therapeutic potential of antibodies and gene therapy to facilitate scalable manufacturing processes to target specific cell types.

Cognito Therapeutics: The company raised $129.1 million of Series B venture funding in a deal led by FoundersX Ventures on November 15, 2023. Starbloom Capital, Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati, OpAmp Capital Management, IAG Capital Partners, Morningside Group and Alzheimers Drug Discovery Foundation also participated in the round. The company is a developer of disease-modifying digital therapeutics designed to cure neurodegenerative disorders.

RefleXion: The company raised $105 million of venture funding in a deal led by The Rise Fund on November 15, 2023. Pfizer Ventures, Johnson & Johnson Innovation – JJDC and Ally Bridge Group also participated in the round. The company is a developer of biology-guided radiotherapy designed to create new cancer treatment modalities.

Nouscom: The company raised EUR 67.5 million of Series C venture funding in a deal led by M Ventures, Andera Partners and Bpifrance on November 14, 2023. Versant Ventures, EQT Life Sciences, 5AM Ventures, Revelation Partners, Indaco Venture Partners, Panakes Partners and XGEN Venture also participated in the round. The company is a developer of an immunotherapy platform designed to develop engineered viral vector vaccines for the treatment of cancer.

T-Therapeutics: The company raised GBP 48 million of venture funding in a deal led by Sofinnova Partners, F-Prime Capital and Digitalis Ventures on November 15, 2023. Sanofi Ventures and Cambridge Enterprise also participated in the round. The company is an operator of a biopharmaceutical business developing engineered T-cell therapies intended to treat chronic and infectious diseases.

AmplifyBio: The company raised $49.8 million of venture funding from undisclosed investors on November 15, 2023. The company is an operator of a biotechnology platform intended to advance the quality of human health and save lives.

NTx: The company raised $47.5 million of Series B venture funding in a deal led by RA Capital Management on November 16, 2023. Anzu Partners and BlueStone Venture Partners also participated in the round. The company is a developer of a bioinformatics and biomanufacturing platform designed to identify, evaluate and prioritize naturally occurring drug discovery targets.

EvolveImmune Therapeutics: The company raised $37.4 million of venture funding from undisclosed investors on November 16, 2023. The company is a developer of novel immunotherapies designed to provide treatments for unmet needs in oncology and autoimmune diseases.

Pinteon Therapeutics: The company raised $28 million of Series B venture funding from undisclosed investors on November 15, 2023, putting the company’s pre-money valuation at $30 million. The company’s antibody interrupts the spread of toxic tau and protects and preserves brain function in patients suffering from neurodegenerative disease.

ViaNautis: The company raised $25 million of Series A venture funding in a deal led by Cambridge Angels, UCB Ventures, BGF, and 4BIO Capital on November 13, 2023. Eli Lilly, O2h Ventures, Meltwind, Origin Capital, and Cystic Fibrosis Foundation also participated in the round. The company encapsulates a range of therapeutic modalities into polymer nanovesicles that can penetrate the blood-brain barrier effectively and selectively target different tissues and cell types.

Arzeda: The company raised $14.9 million of venture funding from undisclosed investors on November 13, 2023. The company is an operator of a synthetic biology company intended to create and manufacture new designer proteins and enzymes.

Oncoheroes Biosciences: The company raised $8.9 million of venture funding in the form of SAFE notes from Rally Foundation, ImpactAssets and other undisclosed investors on November 14, 2023. The company’s drugs and treatments are focused on the treatment of children and adolescents with cancer.

Kinotek: The company raised $2.3 million of venture funding from undisclosed investors on November 16, 2023. The company is a developer of a digital health platform designed to offer fast and affordable musculoskeletal examination diagnostics.

Ergomed / Permira: The was acquired by Permira through a GBP 730.3 million public-to-private LBO on November 13, 2023. Ergomed PLC is engaged in the provision of drug development services to the pharmaceutical industry.

Forge Biologics / Ajinomoto: The company reached a definitive agreement to be acquired by Ajinomoto  for $620 million on November 13, 2023. The company specializes in gene therapy manufacturing and therapeutics development and offers end-to-end capabilities to accelerate gene therapy programs from the preclinical stage through clinical and commercial-scale production.

Propella Therapeutics / Astellas Pharma: The company reached a definitive agreement to be acquired by Astellas Pharma for approximately $175 million on November 15, 2023. The company is an operator of a development-stage biopharmaceutical business dedicated to bringing to market best-in-class drugs that utilize an active ingredient with a known mechanism of action.

Cartesian Therapeutics / Selecta Biosciences: The company acquierd Selecta Biosciences through a reverse merger for $110 million, resulting the combined entity trading on the NASDAQ stock exchange under the ticker symbol RNAC on November 13, 2023. The company’s platform engineers combinations of RNA therapies into cells, and targets such cells precisely to the site of disease.

Davis Medical / Probo Medical: The company was acquired by Probo Medical, via its financial sponsor Avista Capital Partners, through an LBO on November 16, 2023 for an undisclosed amount. The company is a distributor of heart monitoring equipment.

Graphite Bio / LENZ Therapeutics: The company reached a definitive agreement to be acquired by LENZ Therapeutics through a reverse merger, resulting in the combined entity trading on the Nasdaq Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol LENZ on November 15, 2023. Graphite Bio Inc is a clinical-stage gene-editing business harnessing gene integration to develop a new class of therapies for presbyopia.

Homology Medicines / Q32 Bio: The company reached a definitive agreement to be acquired by Q32 Bio through a reverse merger, resulting in the combined entity trading on the Nasdaq Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol QTTB on November 16, 2023. Homology Medicines is a developer of a biotechnology therapeutics platform intended to treat autoimmune and inflammatory diseases.