NEW YORK – RheumaGen, a new company developing cell and gene therapies for autoimmune diseases, launched on Thursday with $15 million in Series A funding.
The Series A funding round was led by SPRIM Global Investments and William Taylor Nominees and will support a Phase I trial of the Aurora, Colorado-based biotech's lead program, RG0401, for treatment-resistant or refractory rheumatoid arthritis.
RheumaGen aims to develop cell and gene therapies as one-time cures for various autoimmune diseases by editing the HLA gene, which plays a critical role in the immune system.
RheumaGen is conducting investigational new drug (IND)-enabling studies for RG0401 in the hopes of beginning a Phase I trial in 2026. RG0401 involves editing the HLA gene so that a patient's HLA molecules mirror those of a person who's resistant to rheumatoid arthritis, the company said, preventing T cells from activating chronic autoimmune responses.
"We believe that if we reach these patients early enough — with our intended one-time, curative treatment — then we can halt the disease and prevent years of accumulated damage to the body," RheumaGen Cofounder and CSO Brian Freed said in a statement. Freed is a professor of medicine and immunology at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus.
The company is building a pipeline of programs for other autoimmune diseases, in which HLA alleles play a role, including multiple sclerosis and type 1 diabetes.