Pandemic preparedness is a big buzzword these days in public health, and Leyden Labs wants to put the words into action with an intranasal spray to go after coronavirus variants, the flu and future viruses. The biotech has secured about $200 million to bankroll its mission.
That includes a $140 million series B disclosed Tuesday that will fund preclinical and early-stage testing of Leyden's platform, aimed at "attacking the viruses at the gate," said Koenraad Wiedhaup, CEO and founder, in an interview.
Helping lead the company is an executive with COVID-19 monoclonal antibody expertise. Chief Commercial Officer Suha Jhaveri helped launch Vir Biotechnology and GlaxoSmithKline's solo agent sotrovimab as vice president and head of commercial at Vir.
The Dutch biotech will deploy the proceeds on developing a platform that induces protection in the mucosa, or the nose and throat, from future variants of SARS-CoV-2, the flu and other emerging respiratory viruses, Wiedhaup said.
The nascent biotech, formed in the early days of the pandemic, hit a major milestone last week by in-licensing a human monoclonal antibody for influenza A and B from Johnson & Johnson's Janssen unit. Leyden paid an undisclosed upfront fee and will dole out biobucks to Janssen in exchange for the exclusive worldwide license to develop and market CR9114 for administration in the nose and throat.
CR9114 was one of three human monoclonal antibodies discovered by J&J unit Crucell in conjunction with scientists at Scripps Research and the Centre of Influenza Research at the University of Hong Kong. The team revealed CR9114 in an August 2012 report in the journal Science.
"The awareness rises that the risk of severe respiratory infections by viruses like influenza increases with age while the response to seasonal influenza vaccines diminishes at old age. Simultaneously bird or avian flu have never been as rampant," said Jaap Goudsmit, M.D., Ph.D., Leyden chief scientific officer, in a statement. "However, current seasonal flu vaccines for the elderly protect poorly, if at all, against these influenza strains."
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Wiedhaup declined to provide details on timing of clinical entry for the flu program nor the coronavirus variant work. The biotech will explore testing the nasal spray as a way to protect against initial infection, as well as on top of existing vaccines that activate the immune system. The goal is to ward off specific variants but also multiple strains, the CEO said.
The 40-person biotech is led by the former McKinsey partner and Goudsmit, who was previously a senior adviser at Janssen and before that global head of the J&J unit's Prevention Center after the pharma acquired Crucell in 2011. Also in the C-suite is Chief Business Officer Ronald Brus, another Crucell veteran.
Series A investors Casdin Capital and GV led the series B, which included participation from SoftBank, Invus, Bluebird Ventures and existing backers F-Prime and Byers Capital.