Gyroscope Therapeutics, a UK-based developer of treatments for retinal diseases which counts diversified conglomerate Fosun as an investor, has filed for an initial public offering in the United States.
The company has set a placeholder target of $100m and intends to float on the Nasdaq Global Select Market. Morgan Stanley, Goldman Sachs and Citigroup are joint book-running managers for the IPO.
Gyroscope is developing gene therapies for the treatment of eye diseases that cause vision loss or blindness. It was established in 2016 by life science-focused investment firm Syncona and Cambridge Enterprise, the commercialisation arm of University of Cambridge.
The company’s lead drug candidate, GT005, is a prospective treatment for geographic atrophy secondary to age-related macular degeneration, and is currently undergoing phase 2 clinical trials.
The IPO proceeds will finance clinical trials for GT005 and support the development of another geographic atrophy candidate, GT011.
Forbion’s Growth Opportunities Fund led a $148m series C round for Gyroscope last month that also featured Fosun’s pharmaceutical subsidiary, Fosun Pharma, as well as Syncona, Cambridge Innovation Capital (CIC), Sofinnova Investments, Tetragon Financial Group and an unspecified healthcare fund.
Syncona acquired a 54% stake in the company through investing $42.3m in the series C round. Gyroscope had picked up $61.2m in a September 2019 series B round led by Syncona with participation from CIC.
The company had merged with Orbit Biomedical, a medical device developer also backed by Syncona, in April 2019 after receiving an undisclosed among of funding from CIC the month before.
Gyroscope’s largest shareholders include Syncona, which holds 89.9 million shares, Forbion (19.6 million), funds and accounts advised by T Rowe Price Associates (9.8 million) and Sofinnova Investments (8.7 million).