Bambusa Therapeutics has raised about $90 million to build out a pipeline of next-gen bispecific antibodies targeting immunological and inflammatory (I&I) conditions.
New investor RA Capital Management led the oversubscribed series A, with Janus Henderson Investors, Redmile Group, Invus and ADAR1 Capital Management in tow, plus other unnamed existing investors, according to a Feb. 14 release.
The Boston biotech’s series A follows a $15 million seed financing that closed in September 2024. That round was co-led by BVF Partners and KKR’s Dawn Biopharma, with participation from Salvia GmbH and INCE Capital.
After forming in May 2024, the young startup has quickly grown and will use the new funds to support lead programs through phase 1 clinical trials.
Bambusa’s lead candidate, known as BBT001, is a bispecific antibody designed to uproot current standard-of-care treatments in a range of undisclosed dermatological conditions, according to the biotech. The asset is currently in phase 1 testing.
The company has also finished preclinical studies for another bispecific that can be used to ask the FDA to launch in-human studies. Dubbed BBT002, the candidate is created to have applications across respiratory, dermatology and gastroenterology areas, according to Bambmusa.
The biotech has two earlier-stage candidates, called BBT003 and BB004, that may potentially be tested in inflammatory bowel diseases and rheumatological indications, respectively.
"The next wave of therapeutics for patients with I&I disorders will be both more efficacious and convenient than currently available options,” RA Capital partner Derek DiRocco, Ph.D., said in the release. “The Bambusa Therapeutics pipeline fits this profile, as their half-life extended bispecific antibodies were designed to target complementary disease-driving signaling pathways, affording the potential for a best-in-disease profile for patients."
The biotech is led by founder and CEO Shanshan Xu, M.D., Ph.D., who previously held leadership roles at BioNTech and Berenberg Capital Markets.