Abingworth is an international investment group dedicated to collaborating with life sciences entrepreneurs to develop their ideas into products that have a dramatic impact on health. With over $1 billion under management, Abingworth invests at all stages of development, from start-ups to publicly traded companies, and across all life sciences sectors.  Supporting its portfolio companies with a team of 27 at offices in London, Menlo Park, and Boston, Abingworth has invested in 142 life science companies, completed 60 IPOs and 40 mergers and acquisitions.

Abingworth

Qiming Venture Partners USA, founded in 2017, is a healthcare venture capital firm and healthcare investor with deep technical expertise that allows them to identify tomorrow's innovations early and strong operational experience with a hands-on approach that makes us the investor of choice for early-stage biotech companies. Because of their proven, hands-on approach to supporting CEOs and scaling operations, its partners are frequently sought after to serve on company boards. They are respected business and thought leaders.

Qiming Venture Partners USA

Alexandria Venture Investments is a venture capital firm that develops work in real estate technology, and healthcare sectors. The company's strategic venture capital platform is Alexandria Venture Investments. Since its inception in 1996, the company has invested in disruptive life science, agrifood tech, and technology companies that are developing transformative new modalities and platforms to meaningfully improve human health.

Alexandria Venture Investments

Surveyor Capital is a fundamental equities business. Surveyor’s sector-aligned investment teams aim to generate alpha through a deep understanding of each company’s strategy, management teams, drivers of performance, and cyclical and secular industry trends over the medium and long term.

Surveyor Capital

The Roche Venture Fund is the name given to the corporate venture fund of the healthcare company Roche. Roche has allocated CHF 500 million to invest in and develop commercially successful innovative life science companies.  Roche has been investing in early-stage companies as part of collaborations since the early-1990s and independent of collaborations since 2002. All equity investments made by Roche in biotech and diagnostics companies (including collaboration investments) are negotiated and managed by the Roche Venture Fund. In the past 20 years, the Roche Venture Fund has invested in over 60 companies globally. Currently, Roche Venture Fund has a portfolio of around 30 companies located in 10 countries across Europe, North America, and the Pacific Region. The fund is an evergreen fund with CHF 500 million available of which approximately 40% is currently invested. The Roche Venture Fund is a committed long-term stable investor with sufficient money reserved in their fund for follow-on financing rounds. As part of a multinational healthcare company, the Roche Venture Fund has access to considerable expertise both internally and externally. We co-invest with leading venture funds, including other corporate venture funds, on a regular basis.

Roche Venture Fund

TSVC, formerly TEEC Angel Fund, is a deep technology-focused venture capital firm. The company prides itself on its empathy for strategic investments and partnerships. Part of what fulfills us about raising great companies is experiencing growing pains together and understanding the ups and downs of everyday startup life.  ‍ The company believes that today's visionaries will make tomorrow's reality. The company believes when companies choose to work with TSCV, they choose a team of veteran entrepreneurs with deep technology backgrounds and investment experience. TSCV believes that globalization will be more important in an interconnected world than ever, and it stands at the forefront of that transformation. TSCV turns dream ventures into reality and thrives as it works toward the common goal of making the world a better place through technology.

TSVC

Our ambition at Citadel is to be the most successful investment firm of all time. Together, we've turned ambition into action. For more than three decades, Citadel has captured undiscovered market opportunities in markets around the world by empowering extraordinary people to pursue their best and boldest ideas. We strive to identify the highest and best uses of capital to generate superior long-term returns for the world’s preeminent public and private institutions.

Citadel

Jasper Therapeutics

Jasper is a biotechnology company focused on enabling safer conditioning agents to allow for the expanded use of curative therapy with stem cell transplants and gene therapies. The company s novel engineered hematopoietic stem cells (eHSCs) platform aims to overcome the limitations of transplant grafts while also unlocking the potential of stem cells, potentially increasing the number of patients who could benefit from allogeneic and autologous gene-edited hematopoietic stem cell therapy. Jasper’s lead compound, JSP191, is in clinical development as a conditioning antibody that clears hematopoietic stem cells from bone marrow in patients undergoing a stem cell transplant.

Jasper Therapeutics develops therapeutics through the editing of mast cells and stem cells for the treatment of oncology, dermatology, anemia, hematology, auto-immune, and genetic diseases. The company’s therapeutics use the editing of cell mRNA and DNA to help overcome issues with regard to allogeneic and autologous gene-edited stem cell grafts. The company is listed on the Nasdaq and trades under the ticker symbol JSPR after a merger with Special Purpose Acquisition Company (SPAC) Amplitude Healthcare in May 2021.

Novel therapies to reboot cells and organs

Cell & Gene Therapy

Jasper Therapeutics COO Sells Shares

Jasper Therapeutics develops therapeutics through the editing of mast cells and stem cells for the treatment of oncology, dermatology, anemia, hematology, auto-immune, and genetic diseases. The company’s therapeutics use the editing of cell mRNA and DNA to help overcome issues with regard to allogeneic and autologous gene-edited stem cell grafts. The company is listed on the Nasdaq and trades under the ticker symbol JSPR after a merger with Special Purpose Acquisition Company (SPAC) Amplitude Healthcare in May 2021. As of May 2024, the company had one therapeutic candidate, Briquilimab, which was being tested across multiple applications. For Mast Cell Diseases, Briquilimab was being tested for the treatment of Chronic Spontaneous Urticaria, Chronic Inducible Urticaria, and asthma. Its asthma application was in the preclinical stage, while its other two applications were in clinical testing phases. Briquilimab was also being tested for the treatment of two Stem Cell-related diseases, Low to Intermediate Risk Myelodysplastic Syndromes and Severe combined Immunodeficiency, both of which were in clinical testing phases. Jasper also had partner programs for treating Stem Cell-related diseases, testing Briquilimab for the treatment of Fanconi Anemia (in partnership with Stanford University), Sickle Cell Disease, Chronic Granulomatous Disease, and GATA2 MDS, all in partnership with the National Institute of Health.

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 Tenaya Therapeutics is a developer of therapeutics for heart disease. The company develops its therapeutics using precision medicine, gene therapy, and cellular regeneration. Tenaya produces therapeutics that also use proprietary in-vivo and in-vitro models. Additionally, the company has developed in-house adeno-associated virus (AAV) capsid engineering capabilities and has screened over one billion variants from more than 30 diverse, proprietary AAV libraries. The company is publicly listed on the Nasdaq and trades under the ticker symbol TNYA.&nbsp;&nbsp;
 
 
 In October 2023 Tenaya Therapeutics (Tenaya) received FDA clearance for the company&rsquo;s investigational new drug application (TN-401) to initiate clinical testing. TN-401 is Tenaya&rsquo;s adeno-associated virus serotype 9-based investigational gene therapy drug candidate for the treatment of arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy caused by mutations in the plakophilin-2 gene. 
 
 
 As of May 2024, the company&rsquo;s clinical pipeline included two candidates in Phase I clinical trials, a gene therapeutic for the treatment of Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy, and a small molecule inhibitor for the treatment of heart failure with preserved ejection fraction. Additionally, Tenaya had one gene therapy candidate and two genetic medicine candidates in preclinical testing phases, along with five genetic medicine candidates in the discovery stage. 
 
 
 
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Tenaya Therapeutics

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 Sarepta Therapeutics is a gene therapy provider for conditions such as Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD), Limb-Girdle Muscular Dystrophy 
 (LGMD), and Charcot-Marie-Tooth Disease. The company&rsquo;s therapeutics incorporate technology related to gene therapy, RNA technologies, and gene editing. The company leverages a proprietary phosphorodiamidate morpholino oligomer (PMO) platform for the development of its RNA-based therapeutics. As of August 2023, the company had four FDA-approved treatments for DMD: ELEVIDYS, EXONDYS 51, VYONDYS 53, and AMONDYS 45. Sarepta Therapeutics is also listed on the Nasdaq, trading under the symbol SRPT.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
 
 
 
 
 As of May 2024, the company had several RNA, gene, and gene editing therapeutics in various clinical stages. Sarepta had two RNA therapeutics, both for the treatment of DMD, one in clinical testing, and the other in pre-clinical testing. Additionally, the company had six gene therapeutics, one for the treatment of DMD (both in clinical testing), four for the treatment of LGMD (three in clinical testing, one in preclinical testing) and one for multiple targets (in preclinical testing). Also, Sarepta had two gene editing-based therapeutics in development for the treatment of DMD, both in preclinical testing phases. 
 
 
 
 
 Key customers and partnerships
 
 
 
 
 Over the years since its founding, Sarepta has partnered with several industry and academic partners. The list includes Dyno Therapeutics, Genethon, Genevant Sciences, Hansa Biopharma, Roche, Columbia University, Harvard University, Translational Laboratory of Murdoch University, University of Florida College of Medicine, The Abigail Wexner Research Institute at Nationwide Children&rsquo;s Hospital, University of Massachusetts Medical School, and the University of Western Australia.&nbsp;&nbsp;
 
 
 
 
 In October 2021, Sarepta and healthcare giant Roche announced they would collaborate on carrying out a clinical study of Sarepta&rsquo;s therapeutic candidate SRP-9001 for the treatment of DMD.&nbsp;
 
 
 
 
 Sarepta and pharmaceutical company Catalent announced that in January 2023, the companies were signing a commercial supply agreement. Through the agreement,&nbsp; Catalent would manufacture Sarepta&rsquo;s gene therapeutic for the treatment of DMD; delandistrogene moxeparvovec (SRP-9001).
 
 
 
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Sarepta Therapeutics

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 Mesoblast is a cell therapy manufacturer that provides therapeutics for oncology, cardiovascular, orthopedic, hematology, immunity, and inflammation-related conditions. The company is listed on the Australian Stock Exchange and trades under the ticker symbol &ldquo;MSB.&rdquo; Mesoblast develops therapeutics using its proprietary mesenchymal lineage cell technology platform, which is used to produce cryopreserved, off-the-shelf, and cellular-based solutions. The company also incorporates 3D bioreactor technology and automation into its production process to produce higher yields.&nbsp;
 
 
 
 
 As of May 2024, the company had five candidates that are in various stages of clinical testing. Mesoblast&rsquo;s steroid-refractory candidate for Acute Graft Versus Host Disease is currently in late-stage Phase III clinical testing and is the closest candidate to commercialization. The company&rsquo;s drug candidates for acute respiratory distress syndrome, chronic low back pain, and chronic heart failure and reduced ejection fraction are also in Phase III clinical testing while its candidate for inflammatory bowel disease is in Phase II of clinical testing.&nbsp;
 
 
 
 
 Key customers and partnerships
 
 
 
 
 The company has secured several agreements with international companies with regard to development and commercialization of Mesoblast&rsquo;s candidates, including Gr&uuml;nenthal GmBH, JCR Pharmaceuticals, Tasly Pharmaceutical Group, TiGenix NV, and the Lonza Group.&nbsp;
 
 
 
 
 Additionally, in April 2020, Mesoblast partnered with The US NIH&rsquo;s National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute to conduct testing of its allogeneic mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) product candidate, &ldquo;remestemcel-L.&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
 
 
 
 
 
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Mesoblast

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 Ocugen is a gene therapy manufacturer that develops vaccine, cell, and gene-based therapeutics for infectious, eye, and orthopedic diseases. Its cell therapy includes a three dimensional tissue-engineered cartilage disk through the growth of chondrocytes &ndash; the cells responsible for maintaining cartilage health. Its gene therapy solution consists of creating a copy of the patient&rsquo;s gene in order to replace mutated/damaged genes. The company is publicly listed on the Nasdaq, and trades under the symbol &lsquo;OCGN&rsquo;.&nbsp;
 
 
 As of May 2024, the company had five therapeutic solutions being clinically tested. The company was developing four gene therapies for the treatment of retinitis pigmentosa, Leber congenital amaurosis, geographic atrophy, and orphan disease. Its treatment candidate for retinitis pigmentosa was in Phase III of clinical study, while its other gene therapies were in Phase I/II. 
 Ocugen was also developing a biological material, in the IND stage, for diabetic macular edema, diabetic retinopathy, and wet age-related macular degeneration. The company's cell therapy for the treatment of articular cartilage defects in the knee was in Phase III of clinical study. Finally, the company was also developing three vaccines, all in IND stages, for prevention of diseases caused by the flu, Covid-19, and a combination of the flu and Covid-19.
 
 
 Key customers and partnerships
 
 
 Ocugen partnered with biopharmaceutical manufacturer Jubilant HollisterStier of Spokane in June 2021 to manufacture its Covid-19 therapeutic COVAXIN. Through the partnership, Jubilant would be the potential commercial manufacturer of Ocugen&rsquo;s vaccine for the US and Canadian markets.
 
 
 
 
 
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Ocugen

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 MeiraGTx is a developer of gene therapies that aim to treat ocular diseases and problems, neurodegenerative disorders, and salivary gland and autoimmune disorders. MeriaGTx is also developing riboswitch-inducible expression programs for the treatment of inherited obesity and Wilson disease, along with producing small-molecule riboswitch inducers. The company is listed on the Nasdaq and trades under the symbol MGTX.&nbsp;&nbsp;
 
 
 As of May 2024, the company had four gene-based therapeutic candidates in Phase II of their clinical trials for the treatment of (1) xerostomia, Parkinson's Disease, and RPE65-Associated retinal dystrophy and (2) achromatopsia. The company also had one therapeutic being developed to treat Sjogren&rsquo;s Syndrome that was in Phase I/II of its clinical trials. Additionally, MeiraGTx had seven other therapeutics in discovery/preclinical stages. The company was also developing a therapeutic for X-linked retinitis pigmentosa in collaboration with Janssen, which was in Phase III of clinical trials. 
 
 
 Key customers and partnerships
 
 
 MeiraGTx partnered with the International Institute of Risk and Safety Management (IIRSM) in November 2022 to influence risk agendas, raise awareness, the standards of risk, and safety management across the industry.&nbsp;
 
 
 Funding and financials
 
 
 Meira last raised funds in October 2023, when the company secured a strategic investment of USD 30 million from Sanofi. As part of the transaction, Sanofi was granted the right of first negotiation for MeiraGTx's gene regulation technology in certain targets.&nbsp;
 
 
 
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MeiraGTx

Companies producing cells, genes, tissues, and biomaterials such as exosomes and extracellular matrix for drug developers and pharmaceutical companies developing regenerative medicine

Chimeric antigen receptor T-cell (CAR-T) therapy involves genetically engineering T cells to target and kill cancer cells

Companies conducting R&D on therapies that modify or introduce new genes into the body to treat diseases

Includes therapies that use cells (other than CAR-T and stem cells) such as Adipose-Derived Regenerative Cells (ADRCs), cardiosphere-derived cells, and gamma delta T cells (GDT cells)

Stem cell therapy involves using stem cells usually extracted from the bone marrow and umbilical cord blood to repair a variety of diseases

Startups in the hub consider individual patient profiles, involving variability in genes, environment, and lifestyle

Genomics helps understand the genetic information stored in the DNA to develop targeted treatments

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 Jasper Therapeutics, a cell therapy company, recently announced an underwritten offering of 3.9 million common shares at USD 12.95 per share, totaling around USD 50 million. Numerous new and existing investors, including Abingworth and Avidity Partners, took part in the offering.
 The raised funds will aid the progression of Jasper's pre-clinical and clinical development programs. The funds will also be utilized for corporate purposes, such as capital expenditures and administrative expenses.
 
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Jasper Therapeutics

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