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With $120m, HI-Bio Aims To Rapidly Prove Approach To Immune-Mediated Diseases

Phase Ib/IIa Trials To Read Out Next Year

 
• By Mandy Jackson

Human Immunology Biosciences (HI-Bio) launched with $120m and two candidates from MorphoSys, including the CD38 inhibitor felzartamab already in the clinic for immune-mediated kidney diseases.

Venture capital or financial support for startup and entrepreneur company
HI-Bio connected with new investor Jeito in its latest financing • Source: Shutterstock

Human Immunology Biosciences, Inc. (HI-Bio) made a splash over the summer as an unknown start-up that agreed to license two clinical-stage monoclonal antibodies from MorphoSys AG under a deal that could amount to as much as $1bn in milestone fees for the German firm. Now, HI-Bio has come out of stealth mode with $120m in initial funding and plans to rapidly validate its approach to immune-mediated diseases, first with the MorphoSys-discovered CD38 inhibitor felzartamab in two kidney diseases.

South San Francisco-based HI-Bio CEO Travis Murdoch is a physician-scientist with experience treating immune-mediated diseases – particularly, inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) – in the early 2010s

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