eGenesis, a Cambridge, MA-based biotechnology company developing human-compatible engineered organs to address the global organ shortage, raised $191M in Series B funding.
The round was led by Lux Capital, with participation from existing investors ARCH Ventures, Khosla Ventures, Farallon Capital Management, Alta Partners, Fresenius Medical Care Ventures, and Leaps by Bayer as well as new investors DaVita, Eisai Innovation, NATCO Pharmaceuticals, and Parkwood Corporation.
The company intends to use the funds to advance its lead product candidate, EGEN-2784, to a first-in-human study for transplant.
Led by CEO Mike Curtis, eGenesis is advancing a genome engineering-based approach in the development of safe and effective transplantable organs to end the global organ shortage and transform the treatment of organ failure. The eGenesis Genome Engineering and Production (EGEN™) Platform comprehensively addresses cross-species molecular incompatibilities and viral risk via genetic engineering to improve the lives of patients in need of a transplant.
In March 2024, the company announced a successful porcine kidney transplant in a living patient. The transplant was authorized by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) under the Expanded Access pathway and performed by a surgical team at Massachusetts General Hospital.
The eGenesis donor kidney (EGEN-2784) is the company’s lead candidate for kidney transplant and carries three classes of edits: (1) knock out of three genes involved in the synthesis of glycan antigens implicated in hyperacute rejection, (2) insertion of seven human transgenes involved in the regulation of pathways that modulate rejection: inflammation, innate immunity, coagulation, and complement, and (3) inactivation of the endogenous retroviruses in the porcine genome.
The company is developing organs that carry all three classes of edits to address organ safety and efficacy. Without genetic modification, a porcine kidney would be immediately rejected by a human recipient.
FinSMEs
04/09/2024