Leaps by Bayer, an investment vehicle for pharmaceuticals and chemicals producer Bayer, invested $215m to lead a $250m funding round for US-based immuno-oncology drug developer Century Therapeutics yesterday.
Fujifilm Cellular Dynamics (FCDI), a biotech-focused subsidiary of imaging technology producer Fujifilm, also participated in the round, as did venture capital firm Versant Ventures.
Founded in 2018 by Versant Ventures, Century is working on allogeneic cell therapies that are intended to target haematologic and solid cancers.
The therapies are based on induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSC), a type of stem cell that can be generated directly from adult cells, and which have an unlimited capacity to self-renew, according to the company.
The round was disclosed as Century emerged from stealth. Its co-founders include Marcela Maus, an assistant professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School, and Hiro Nakauchi, professor of genetics at Stanford University School of Medicine.
The company had already formed a partnership with FCDI in 2018 that involved them collaborating on the development of immune effector cells for cancer, while Century has also secured access to FCDI’s technology and intellectual property.
Toshikazu Ban, corporate vice-president of Fujifilm, said: “Fujifilm’s mission is to bring new value to society through innovation and the creation of new technologies, products and services.
“We are confident that FCDI’s cutting edge iPSC technologies and promising regenerative medicine solutions currently under development, can create new value to fulfil unmet medical needs and improve the lives of patients around the world.”