Meissa Vaccines, a US-based vaccine developer currently taking part in pharmaceutical firm Johnson & Johnson’s JLabs incubator, completed a $30m series A round yesterday led by venture capital firm Morningside Ventures.
Founded in 2014, Meissa has created a platform that exploits synthetic biology and genetic engineering to rapidly generate vaccines for respiratory conditions. Its vaccines are intended to be safer and induce a more efficient immune response than natural pathogens.
The company is a resident of the south San Francisco branch of JLabs, part of a network of incubators operated by Johnson & Johnson Innovation – JJDC, Johnson & Johnson’s corporate venturing subsidiary.
The proceeds have been allocated to phase 1 and 2 trials for Meissa’s lead asset, a vaccine for respiratory syncytial virus, which causes respiratory tract infections and which is particularly dangerous in infants and the elderly, potentially leading to pneumonia or bronchitis.
The financing will also support the growth of Meissa’s headcount and the expansion of its pipeline. Isaac Cheng and Stephanie O’Brien, two investment professionals with Morningside, will join its board of directors in conjunction with the round.
Meissa Vaccines had previously secured $3.4m in seed capital from unnamed investors in March 2019, adding to an undisclosed amount supplied by venture capital firm FundRx in 2017.
The company advances research by CEO Martin Moore, associate professor at Emory University and director of the Emory Children’s Center for Childhood Infections and Vaccines, and chief scientific officer Roderick Tang, previously a staff scientist at vaccine developer Aviron.
A version of this article first appeared on our sister site, Global University Venturing.
