– USA, WA – Silverback Therapeutics, a private biopharmaceutical company pioneering a new class of immune-modulating ImmunoTAC drug conjugates targeting previously inaccessible disease pathways, today announced the close of an oversubscribed $78.5 million Series B financing round led by U.S. Venture Partners (USVP) with participation from new investors including Nextech Invest Ltd., Hunt Investment Group, Pontifax Venture Capital, Colt Ventures LP and NS Investment.
Along with the financing, Jonathan Root, M.D., general partner at USVP, and Thilo Schroeder, Ph.D., partner at Nextech Invest Ltd., have joined the board of directors.
Existing investors participating in the financing include OrbiMed Advisors LLC, Bristol-Meyers Squibb and Alexandria Venture Investments, LLC.
Silverback will use the proceeds to support the ongoing development of SBT6050, an anti-HER2 antibody conjugated to a potent TLR8 agonist for the treatment of HER2-expressing solid tumors, and to advance its pipeline of ImmunoTAC programs. The Company expects to file an Investigational New Drug Application and initiate a clinical investigation for SBT6050 this year.
“Our preclinical studies demonstrate that systemic delivery of our TLR8 agonist targeted to HER2-expressing tumors potently activates myeloid cells to kill cancer and reprograms the tumor microenvironment, resulting in durable, curative single-agent activity,” said Peter Thompson, M.D., co-founder, Chairman, & CEO. “We are pleased to attract a group of world-class investors who believe in our bold vision to develop potent immune-modulating agents that can be delivered systemically but act locally at the site of disease. With these additional resources, we’re focused on advancing our lead program into the clinic this year and progressing our preclinical pipeline assets towards the clinic.”
About Dr Jonathan Root
Dr. Root spent nine years in clinical practice before joining USVP in 1995 and becoming a general partner in 1997. Before USVP, he was on the faculty and clinical staff at The New York Hospital-Cornell Medical Center in New York City. Dr. Root is currently on the boards of several USVP portfolio companies and is also a former board member for the National Venture Capital Association.
“The Silverback team is building a platform technology capable of unlocking potent immuno-modulatory pathways using an established antibody-guided approach for targeting disease sites,” said Jonathan Root, M.D., general partner, USVP. “I look forward to supporting the company’s evolution as it moves these compelling therapies into the clinic, starting with SBT6050.”
Dr. Root holds an A.B. in Economics from Dartmouth College, an M.D. from the University of Florida College of Medicine, and an M.B.A. from Columbia University.
About Dr Thilo Schroeder
Dr. Schroeder joined Nextech as a partner in 2012, helping grow and shape the organization as a leading oncology-focused venture firm. He began his biotech career at the pioneering cancer immunology company Micromet (acquired by Amgen) while studying at Ecole Supérieure de Biotechnologie de Strasbourg. Dr. Schroeder is currently on the boards of several private biotechnology companies. He obtained his Ph.D., focused on protein engineering in the development of Designed Ankyrin Repeat Proteins (DARPins), from the University of Zurich.
About Silverback Therapeutics
Silverback Therapeutics is a privately-held biopharmaceutical company advancing a pipeline of therapies that are systemically delivered, but locally active and target fundamental disease pathways. Silverback’s ImmunoTAC platform enables local modulation of powerful biologic pathways enabling innovative therapeutic approaches to oncology, virology and fibrotic diseases. Silverback’s lead candidate, SBT6050, directly and potently activates myeloid cells in HER2-containing tumors leading to the eradication of the cancer cells and reprogramming of the tumor microenvironment in preclinical models. Clinical investigation of SBT6050 is expected to begin in 2020. Since its inception in 2016, Silverback has raised over $125 million in venture capital. The Company is headquartered in Seattle, Washington.
For more information: https://silverbacktx.com
About U.S. Venture Partners
U.S. Venture Partners is a leading Silicon Valley venture capital firm, partnering with entrepreneurs to transform their ideas into world-changing companies. USVP focuses on early-stage start-ups that transform cybersecurity, enterprise software, consumer and healthcare. USVP has invested in over 400 companies spanning four decades, including Box, Check Point Software, Guidewire, HeartFlow, HotelTonight, Imperva, Inari Medical, Inspire Medical Systems, Intersect ENT, Luminate, Omada Health, Pluto TV, Prevoty, Sequent, ThreatMetrix, Trunk Club, Trusteer, Vontu, Yammer and Zerto. The USVP team consists of former entrepreneurs, technologists, corporate executives, and financial professionals who assist with strategy, scaling, team building, product development, and business development. USVP is based in Menlo Park, California.
For more information: https://www.usvp.com
- Disclaimer - News, data, and statements included in this release are intended exclusively for general information purposes. Talent4Boards does not guarantee that news is accurate or about the correct person and accepts neither liability for the consequences of the reader’s reliance, nor responsibility for the accuracy of the information. Nothing in this release should be considered for decisions about referred securities. Products and brand names may be trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners.
