UK-based ocular oncology developer Aura Biosciences has raised $30m in a series C round co-led by Lundbeckfonden Ventures, the strategic investment arm of pharmaceutical firm Lundbeck.
Venture capital firm Arix Bioscience co-led the round, which also featured pharmaceutical firm Chiesi Group’s corporate venturing arm, Chiesi Ventures, scientific apparatus maker Li-Cor Biosciences and Alexandria Venture Investments, part of real estate investment trust Alexandria Real Estate Equities.
VC firms Ysios Capital and Columbus Venture Partners, growth capital firm Advent Life Sciences and individual investor Henri Termeer also took part in the round. Arix provided $5m and Mark Chin, an investment manager at the firm, will join Aura’s board of directors.
Aura has begun clinical testing on a viral-based treatment called AU-011 for ocular melanoma, a potentially fatal form of eye cancer. AU-011 attaches itself to the cancerous cells so an ophthalmic laser can be used on tumours without a surgical procedure.
Aura Biosciences has raised approximately $70m in equity financing and $2.7m in debt, including $8m from investors including Chiesi Ventures, Alexandria Venture Investments, Advent Partners and Ysios Capital in September 2016.
Chiesi and Li-Cor also invested in Aura’s $22m series B round in 2015, which was led by Advent and backed by Alexandria Venture Investments, Ysios Capital and Henri Termeer.