Investors are clearly in no doubt over the functionality of Tune Therapeutics’ epigenetic silencing drug, providing the biotech with an astounding $175 million in series B funds to help it bring the medicine to clinic.
Specifically, the investment is intended to be used for the advancement of Tune’s pipeline, being headed by Tune-401. Over the course of the last several months, the firm has been working hard to get approval to implement Tune-401 into clinical studies in both Hong Kong and New Zealand.
Tune’s TEMPO epigenetic editing platform, administered to cells in the form of lipid nanoparticles, is the foundation upon which the epigenetic silencing medication targeting chronic hepatitis B (HBV) is constructed. Instead of causing irreversible changes to the DNA itself by removing or knocking out genes, as is the case with other gene editing methods, TEMPO modifies gene expression in a nonpermanent manner. To do this, it employs a DNA-binding domain, a peptide complex, in conjunction with an effector, which is a tiny molecule.
In 2023, Tune shocked the scientific community when the firm revealed preclinical results demonstrating that Tune-401 has the ability to virtually entirely inhibit HBV DNA in human liver cells and in animal models that had been infected with the virus.
The biotech company stated in the release that some of the funds from the series B funding will be employed to promote the advancement of additional gene, cell, and regenerative treatments that are already in progress at Tune. Additionally, the funds will be used to advance Tune’s larger goal of bringing the strength and flexibility of epigenetic therapies to bear on prevalent and chronic diseases.
Tune was established in 2021 with a capital investment of $40 million. Yosemite, The Hevolution Foundation, Regeneron Ventures, and New Enterprise Associates spearheaded today’s massive fundraising round.
Yosemite founder and investor Reed Jobs expressed pride in seeing Tune advance successfully into clinical trials, according to the Jan. 13 release. He emphasized that the Yosemite team has been a strong supporter of Tune from the outset, believing that few technologies possess the biological potential of epigenetic medicine to significantly improve disease outcomes. He added that the range of possible applications is huge, and will only expand with time.
