US-based cell-transplant technology developer Jasper Therapeutics has grown its series A round to more than $49m, raising money from investors including pharmaceutical firm Roche’s corporate venturing vehicle, Roche Venture Fund.
The unit led a $14.1m extension, adding to a $35m first tranche last month and taking Jasper’s total funding to more than $50m.
Abingworth and Qiming Venture Partners USA led the first close, which included Alexandria Venture Investments, the venture capital subsdiary of life science real estate investment trust Alexandria Real Estate Equities, in addition to Surveyor Capital.
Jasper is developing therapies for haematopoietic cell transplants, where haematopoietic stem cells – which produce healthy blood cells – are transferred to a patient’s bone marrow to replace malignant equivalents.
The approach could be used to combat a range of diseases including blood cancers such as leukaemia as well as autoimmune diseases and genetic diseases.
The company will put the additional funding into further development of its lead product candidate, a monoclonal antibody called JSP191 that functions as a conditioning agent, binding to a cell growth factor receptor known as CD117 to help remove existing haematopoietic stem cells from bone marrow.
JSP191 is being assessed in a phase 1/2 dose-escalation and expansion study for patients with severe combined immunodeficiency who have already had a stem cell transplant that was unsuccessful. It will be expanded to encompass myeloid leukaemia or myelodysplastic syndrome patients getting haematopoietic cell transplants.
