Capstan Therapeutics Launches With $165M To Deliver On In Vivo Cell Engineering

Capstan Therapeutics, Inc. today initiated a $165 million investment to combine cell therapy and gene medicine to help bring safe, best-in-class medicines to more patients in a variety of indications.

Capstan's fundamental in vivo engineering accuracy is based on research from the University of Pennsylvania mRNA labs and cell therapy scientists.

Capstan's funding includes a recently closed $102 million Series A funding round led by Pfizer Ventures, followed by Bayer's Leaps, Eli Lilly and Company, Bristol Myers Squibb, Polaris Partners, Alexandria Venture Investments and all existing investors after the financing. The multi-million dollar startup was led by Novartis Venture Fund and OrbiMed, and was joined in November 2021 by RA Capital and Vida Ventures.

Advances in innovative therapies

The company plans to use the funds to advance its mission to advance the clinical promise of cell therapy by delivering precision-engineered in vivo cells that benefit patients in a variety of disease categories.

Capstan's modular platform includes proprietary Targeted Lipid Nanoparticle (tLNP) technology, a suite of targets to mediate specific cellular uptake and disease-specific mRNA payloads that directly target the development or destruction of pathogenic cells by in vivo generated CAR-T target cells. .

Capstan prioritizes programs based on their potential to transform the quality of clinical care. The Company's initial efforts will focus on developing a best-in-class in vivo CAR therapy targeting the outpatient setting for patients with diseases for which there is no effective treatment.

Capstan plans to use precision delivery technology and engineering to advance new treatments for certain monogenic blood diseases.

Capstan announced that Laura Shover has joined the company as President and CEO.

The company's scientific founders include several University of Pennsylvania individuals, authors of two studies that led to the pre-clinical proof of concept for the non-viral therapy CAR-T that Capstan plans to develop and scale up in the clinic.

New treatment options

A 2019 publication from Nature demonstrates the preclinical application of ex vivo CAR-T cell therapy against FAP, a target associated with fibrosis. A follow-up study published in Science earlier this year built on previous findings and demonstrated the generation of functional CAR T cells in vivo in a mouse model after a single IV injection of mRNA encoding an encapsulated anti-FAP CAR on a CD5 target coded. . LNP.

"The Pennsylvania study shows great promise when it comes to teaching the bodies of patients with targeted LDL and mRNA delivery to make CAR-T cells in vivo," said Jonathan Epstein, scientific director of the Penn Perelman School of Medicine. .

“We believe this approach could have a major impact not only in oncology but also in fibrosis and many other diseases. My scientific co-founders and I look forward to actively participating in our collaborative effort with Capstan to develop medicines that benefit patients around the world."