Quellis Biosciences Raises $17 Million to Develop Rare Disease Therapies

Quellis Biosciences has emerged from stealth operations with $17 million
to advance next-generation antibody therapies for rare diseases with a series A financing led by Perceptive Xontogeny Venture Fund.

The company is focused on discovering best-in-class antibody therapies to treat serious rare diseases and improve patient outcomes. The series A financing was closed following the successful discovery and characterization of promising new molecules.

Quellis is led by President and founding CEO Jonathan Violin, and Chief Scientific Officer Vahe Bedian, both partners at Viridian.

“Quellis represents a shared vision for patient focused, data driven, and capital efficient discovery and development of important new medicines,” said Violin.

The company is currently optimizing several novel monoclonal antibodies targeting an undisclosed but validated mechanism of action to achieve a differentiated clinical profile for an undisclosed rare disease. As part of these efforts, Quellis plans to incorporate Xencor’s Xtend Fc technology, for which it holds a target-exclusive license. Xtend provides for improved antibody half-life and thereby reduces the size and frequency of doses that patients require compared to a standard antibody drug candidate.

“We believe the de-risked biology and unmet need present an important opportunity for the lead Quellis program to create value for patients, providers, and payers,” said Chris Garabedian, chairman of Quellis’ board and manager of the Perceptive Xontogeny Venture Fund.

Photo: Chris Garabedian, chairman of Quellis’ board and manager of the Perceptive Xontogeny Venture Fund

Author: Rare Daily Staff