Virobay第二轮融资加速开发自身免疫病疗法

总部设在美国加州门罗帕克的生物技术公司Virobay公司最近第二轮融资又有新进展，著名风投公司Perceptive Advisors牵头TPG Biotech与艾伯维等公司再向Virobay公司投入800万美元，使其第二轮融资总额达到1800万美元左右。

利用这笔资金，Virobay公司将开发期正处于临床一期研究的用于治疗自身免疫药物VBY-036和治疗纤维化和非酒精性脂肪肝疾病的VBY-376。同时Virobay公司目前还正在研究治疗胆汁性肝硬化的药物等。这些处于研发阶段的药物都是基于Virobay公司的蛋白酶小分子抑制物开发技术获得的。

Virobay公司成立于2006年，是Celera Genomics公司业务剥离后的产物。

详细英文报道：

Menlo Park, CA, biotech Virobay tacked another $8 million onto its Series B financing, collecting cash to advance its treatments for neuropathic pain, autoimmune disease and fibrosis.

The latest tranche brings Virobay's B round to $18 million in total, adding new investor Perceptive Advisors to a syndicate that includes TPG Biotech, Alta Partners and AbbVie ($ABBV).

With the new money, Virobay plans to hit the gas on its pipeline of Phase I protease inhibitors, including VBY-036, a treatment for pain and autoimmunity, and VBY-376, which has applications in fibrosis and nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH).

The biotech also has a preclinical candidate for primary biliary cirrhosis and discovery-stage assets for autoimmune disease, cancer and Alzheimer's disease. Virobay's most advanced treatment is the Phase I psoriasis treatment VBY-091, licensed to Denmark's Leo Pharma in a deal worth up to $307 million.

Each candidate is based on Virobay's platform for developing small-molecule inhibitors of cathepsins, a subclass of proteases that play a role in cellular function and are implicated in a variety of diseases.

The company, founded in 2006 as a spinout of Celera Genomics, operates under the virtual model, maintaining a small in-house staff and tapping external contractors to do the heavy lifting.