SwanBio Therapeutics–Syncona: investment, 202004 expanded financing round Series A totalling $52m incl investor Syncona Ltd

	Period	2020-04-23
	Successor	SwanBio Therapeutics–Syncona: investment, 202205 financing round Series B totalling $56m incl existing + co-lead investor Syncona Ltd
	Money taker	SwanBio Therapeutics Inc.
	Money source	Syncona Ltd. (LON: SYNC)
	Group	Syncona (Group)
	Product	gene therapy adrenomyeloneuropathy (AMN)
	Product 2	venture capital
	Index term	SwanBio Therapeutics–SEVERAL: investment, 202004 expanded financing round Series A $52m
	Person	Hollowood, Christopher J. (Wellcome Trust 201511 Partner at Syncona)

SwanBio Therapeutics, Inc.. (4/23/20). "Press Release: SwanBio Therapeutics Announces Series A Expansion to Fund its Lead Program and Grow Pipeline in Gene Therapy for Neurological Diseases". Bala Cynwyd, PA.

SwanBio Therapeutics, a gene therapy company developing leading-edge medicines to deliver dramatic clinical efficacy for the treatment of AMN and other neurological diseases, today announces the successful completion of a $52 million expanded Series A financing.

Syncona Ltd. and Partners Innovation Fund have made a $20 million investment as part of a $52 million additional commitment to the Series A financing in SwanBio Therapeutics.

Chris Hollowood, Chief Investment Officer of Syncona Ltd. and Chair of SwanBio Therapeutics, said: “This financing, which is Syncona’s largest Series A to date, demonstrates our belief that we have a differentiated opportunity to build a world-class company targeting neurodegenerative diseases, where there are no current treatments available.”

The funding will help rapidly progress the understanding and development of adeno-associated virus (AAV) based gene therapies, advance manufacturing and development capabilities and allow the execution of a robust hiring plan to meet the demands of the pipeline.

“At SwanBio Therapeutics, we enjoy the confidence and support of both Syncona Ltd. and Partners Innovation Fund in achieving a focused multi-program platform in neurological diseases through what has become the most significant investment in the company to date,” said Tom Anderson, CEO and Director of SwanBio Therapeutics. “We continue to seek and develop gene therapies in neurological diseases where there is significant unmet need and where our science can make a difference in the lives of patients and their families.”

About Syncona Ltd.

Syncona is a leading FTSE250 healthcare company focused on founding, building and funding a portfolio of global leaders in life science. Our vision is to build a sustainable, diverse portfolio of 15 – 20 companies focused on delivering transformational treatments to patients in truly innovative areas of healthcare, through which we are seeking to deliver strong risk-adjusted returns for shareholders.

We seek to partner with the best, brightest and most ambitious minds in science to build globally competitive businesses. We take a long-term view, underpinned by a strategic capital base which provides us with control and flexibility over the management of our portfolio. We focus on delivering dramatic efficacy for patients in areas of high unmet need.

About Partners Innovation Fund

Partners Innovation Fund (PIF) is an early-stage venture capital fund created in 2008 to promote the commercialization of technologies from Partners’ academic research institutions. PIF has $171 million in capital under management, including commitments from BWH and MGH, two of the principal teaching hospitals of the Harvard Medical School. We have also raised external capital from strategic and institutional investors. PIF invests exclusively in life science companies based on intellectual property created within our own research community. We enjoy privileged access to Partners’ intellectual property estate with the first look at newly disclosed inventions reflecting the inventive output from more than $1.8 billion of research expenditures annually.