Dynacure Raises $55 Million to Develop Antisense Therapy for Rare Muscular Disorders

Rare Daily Staff

Dynacure said it raised more than $55 million (€47 million) to advance its lead antisense program into clinical development to treat two centronuclear myopathies, a group of rare genetic muscular disorders.

Andera Partners (formerly Edmond de Rothschild Investment Partners) led the financing round.  Pontifax, Bpifrance, Kurma Partners, and IdInvest Partners also participated in the financing.

Centronuclear myopathies manifest from birth to late adulthood. They cause muscle weakness that can affect the ability to walk, breathe, and swallow. Patients with more severe cases can need to use a wheelchair, ventilator, or a gastric tube.

Dyancure’s experimental therapy Dyn101 targets two forms of CNM: X-linked (the most common variant) and the autosomal dominant form. It is an antisense oligonucleotide therapy being developed in collaboration with Ionis Pharmaceuticals.

“CNM is a devastating disease with no effective treatment, and through a clinical development program informed by our ongoing natural history study, we will pursue a mission to transform the lives of patients and families affected by CNM,” said Stephane van Rooijen, CEO of Dynacure.

Kurma Partners, SATT Conectus, and Ionis Pharmaceuticals founded the company in 2016, based on research conducted at the Institute of Genetic and Molecular and Cellular Biology in Strasbourg; Bpifrance joined as an early investor in 2017.

July 9, 2018
Stephane van Rooijen, CEO of Dynacure