Date: 2016-05-03
Type of information: Series A financing round
Company: Orchard Therapeutics (UK)
Investors: F-Prime Capital (USA - MA) UCL Business (UK) UCL Technology Fund (UK)
Amount: series A financing round
Funding type: £21 million (€ 26.52 million)
Planned used:
- Orchard Therapeutics is a new biotechnology company with operations in London and the United States. The company is focused on the development and commercialization of transformative ex-vivo gene therapies for patients with orphan diseases. Its development programmes exploit the potential of ex-vivo autologous haematopoietic stem cell gene therapy to restore normal gene function in primary immune deficiencies, metabolic diseases and haematological disorders. Orchard’s lead candidate is ex-vivo autologous lentiviral stem cell gene therapy for severe combined immunodeficiency caused by adenosine deaminase deficiency (ADA-SCID). Interim clinical data from this programme show significant immune reconstitution and 100% survival in 32 patients treated at GOSH and UCLA, as of March 2016. Orchard is also exploring the effects of ex-vivo autologous lentiviral stem cell gene therapy in patients with mucopolysaccharidosis type IIIA (MPS IIIA or Sanfilippo disease type A).
The company employs a collaborative development model for its research programmes, working closely with clinicians and researchers at leading academic centres. As part of its launch, Orchard Therapeutics has announced formal partnerships with University College London, Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children NHS Foundation Trust (“GOSH”), the University of Manchester, the University of California Los Angeles and Boston Children’s Hospital for the development of transformative gene therapies for serious and life-threatening orphan diseases.
Others:
- • On May 3, 2016, Orchard Therapeutics has officially launched with a £21-million Series A financing led by F-Prime Capital with support from UCL Business PLC and additional participation from the UCL Technology Fund.. Orchard’s management team includes senior pharmaceutical leaders with extensive experience in gene and cell therapy, including founders Andrea Spezzi, Chief Medical Officer, and Nicolas Koebel, SVP Business Operations, who prior to joining Orchard were involved in the clinical development and market access planning at GSK. Chief Manufacturing Officer Stewart Craig previously held executive management positions in cell and gene therapy companies for more than 20 years, and most recently was head of technical operations at Sangamo BioSciences.
- Orchard’s Scientific Advisory Board is comprised of world-leading researchers in gene therapy and rare diseases, including Professor Alessandra Biffi (Dana Faber/Boston Children’s Hospital), Dr Brian Bigger (The University of Manchester), Professor Bobby Gaspar (UCL/GOSH), Dr Simon Jones (Central Manchester University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust), Professor Donald Kohn (UCLA), Professor Fulvio Mavilio (Genethon), Professor Waseem Qasim and Professor Adrian Thrasher (UCL/GOSH), Professor David Williams (Boston Children’s Hospital) and Professor Robert Wynn (Central Manchester University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust).
Therapeutic area: Rare diseases - Genetic diseases - Hematological diseases - Immunological diseases - Metabolic diseases
Is general: Yes
