Cambridge, MA-based Epizyme garnered $32 million in a Series B financing round. New investors Bay City Capital, Amgen Ventures, and Astellas Venture Management were joined by existing investors MPM Capital and Kleiner Perkins Caufield and Byers.
Epizyme is building a pipeline of first-in-class epigenetic drugs designed to treat blood cancers and tumors. The company's drugs combat cancer by inhibiting a type of epigenetic enzyme known as histone methyltransferases that deactivate cancer-fighting genes or activate genes that promote tumor survival, according to Xconomy.
"With the support of our new investors as well as our existing investors, we are now in a position to progress a number of these lead programs into proof-of-concept studies," said Epizyme chief executive officer Kazumi Shiosaki, PhD.
BBC investment partner and managing director Carl Goldfischer, M.D., will join the Epizyme's board of directors, the company said in statement today. Goldfischer has served on the boards of a number of biotech companies, including BrainCells, MAP Pharmaceuticals and PTC Therapeutics.
- here's the Epizyme release
- more on the company from Xconomy