The B cells of the immune system continue to produce large amounts of protein. Be Biopharma is harnessing this capability for novel cell therapies, and the biotech now has $130 million Advance into the clinic with a pipeline of cancer and rare disease candidates.
Arch Venture Partners led the Series B round announced Thursday.
The first cell therapy was made from T cells harvested from a patient and engineered against that patient’s cancer. Many companies are pursuing the next generation of these T-cell therapies. Be Bio is part of a smaller team focused on making cell therapies using B cells, a type of white blood cell that produces antibodies that fight disease and maintain health. The Cambridge, Massachusetts-based startup engineers these B cells so that the proteins they produce have specific therapeutic applications. Harnessing the protein-producing capabilities of B cells essentially turns those cells into factories for the production of drugs.
Be Biopharma calls its cell therapies BeCMs, short for Engineered B-Cell Medicines. Unlike T-cell therapies, which are made from a patient’s own cells, BeCMs can be made from cells from healthy donors. The biotech also says its therapy has the potential for long-lasting effects and can be re-administered without a toxic conditioning regimen to prepare the body for treatment.
Be Bio’s initial focus is on rare diseases and cancers, although the company has yet to provide more details on specific diseases within those categories. The company did say that as its technology platform expands, its scope may expand to include other therapeutic areas such as infectious diseases, neurological disorders and autoimmune diseases. Steven Gillis, managing director of Arch Venture Partners, said in a prepared statement that his firm was impressed with the progress Be Bio has made since its launch.
“The untapped potential of B cell medicine is exciting, and Be Bio’s highly modular platform can also rapidly unlock a pipeline of product candidates for a variety of serious diseases,” said Gillis, who joins the Biotechnology Board of Directors.
Be Bio launches in 2020 $52 million in Series A funding. Since then, competitors have emerged.in South San Francisco Walking Fish Therapeutics launched last September with $50 million in backing Series A financing. The preclinical startup’s programs are developing solid tumors, rare diseases, and regenerative medicine. Meanwhile, Immusoft, in the preclinical stage, is developing B-cell therapies that can penetrate the protective blood-brain barrier.Seattle last October Startup begins collaboration with Takeda, focused on developing treatments for rare neurometabolic diseases.
Be Biopharma doesn’t currently have a major pharmaceutical partner, but Bristol-Myers Squibb is taking a closer look at the company’s research. BMS is one of the new investors in the Series B financing, an investment that gives it an observer seat on the startup’s board. The latest round also includes participation from early investors Atlas Venture, RA Capital Management, Alta Partners, Longwood Fund and Takeda Ventures.
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