In 2018, Generation Bio broke cover with a $25 million series A, swiftly followed by a meatier $100 million second funding round.
Now, just before the J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference, it has grabbed its biggest yet, a $110 million series C, as it looks to go all in for IND-enabling studies for its leading programs: liver-targeted therapies for hemophilia A and phenylketonuria.
In addition to the liver, Generation Bio is also working on potential treatments for diseases of skeletal muscle and the eye.
The early-stage Cambridge, Massachusetts-based biotech saw its major round led by T. Rowe Price with help from Farallon, Wellington Management and existing investors Atlas Venture, Fidelity, Invus, Casdin, Deerfield, Foresite Capital and an entity associated with SVB Leerink.
Generation Bio’s platform is geared up to be gene therapy 2.0 and is designed to develop re-dosable, long-lasting, scalable gene therapies for severe diseases.
The company is developing gene therapies under the GeneWave banner that use closed-ended DNA rather than viruses to deliver therapeutic proteins, which could sidestep safety issues such as immune reactions
“Our vision is to develop re-dosable, long-lasting gene therapies manufactured at a scale that leaves no patient or family behind,” said Geoff McDonough, M.D., president and CEO of Generation Bio.
“Since our founding we have had the support of high-quality investors who share our excitement about the potential of our platform to lead a new generation of gene therapy and about advancing our lead programs toward the clinic.”