US-based cell engineering technology startup Walking Fish Therapeutics emerged from stealth yesterday having completed a $50m series A round that included genomics technology producer Illumina.
Co-investment vehicle Emerson Collective and venture capital firm Quan Capital also participated in the round, while Illumina invested through its corporate venturing unit, Illumina Ventures. The company has not revealed details of its seed funding.
Walking Fish is working on cellular therapies for cancer, rare diseases and autoimmune diseases as well as products focusing on regenerative medicine and recombinant antibody production.
The company’s drugs are intended to trigger the body’s B cells in order to activate the immune system to attack cancer cells, in addition to replacing proteins where conditions have led to a deficiency, as well as in regenerative proteins and engineered antibody activities.
Illumina Ventures partner Alexis Ji said: “Walking Fish’s financial backing, combined with its high-calibre leadership team, positions it well for success in pioneering B cell engineering. We believe the company has the potential to take the protein and cell therapeutics field to a new plane.”
