US-based biopharmaceutical company Synlogic announced yesterday it has completed its reverse merger with Nasdaq-listed biopharmaceutical firm Mirna Therapeutics after gaining the approval of Mirna’s shareholders.
The all-stock transaction was first revealed in May 2017. The combined company began trading on the Nasdaq Capital Market yesterday under the SYBX symbol and will operate as Synlogic.
Synlogic’s shareholders own approximately 82% of the combined entity, with the remainder held by Mirna’s stockholders.
Synlogic will focus on the development of drugs using synthetic biology to genetically reprogram bacteria in order to treat cancer and metabolic and inflammatory diseases.
The merged business has approximately $100m in cash and cash equivalents, including $42m in series C funding raised just ahead of the merger from backers including AJU IB Investment, a strategic investment arm of financial services firm AJU Capital.
Ally Bridge Group, Arctic Aurora Lifesciences, CLI Ventures, Perceptive Advisors, Rock Springs Capital, Atlas Venture, Deerfield, New Enterprise Associates (NEA), OrbiMed and undisclosed additional backers had also contributed to the series C round.
OrbiMed previously led Synlogic’s $40m series B round in February 2016, with participation from Deerfield, Atlas and NEA. Synlogic closed a $34.4m series A round in 2014, obtaining $29.4m from Atlas and NEA in July before adding $5m from Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation in October.
Mirna floated in late 2015 in a $43.8m. It had raised $78m in equity from backers including the strategic investment subsidiaries of pharmaceutical companies Pfizer and Baxter, which held post-IPO stakes sized at 12.4% and 3.6% respectively.