Flexus discloses financings
Cancer immunotherapy play Flexus Biosciences Inc. (San Carlos, Calif.) said it has raised $38 million in two rounds of funding. Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers incubated the company and led its $13 million series A in October 2013, while The Column Group led its $25 million series B. The latter round, in which KPCB and Celgene Corp. (NASDAQ:CELG) also participated, included a tranche in July and a second installment due in January 2015.
The company has in-licensed FLX925, which inhibits FMS-like tyrosine kinase 3 ( FLT3; CD135) and cyclin dependent kinases 4 ( CDK4) and 6 ( CDK6), from Amgen Inc. (NASDAQ:AMGN). Flexus submitted an IND for FLX925 to treat acute myelogenous leukemia (AML) in November, and expects to begin a Phase I trial in early 2015. Flexus has two undisclosed immunotherapy programs at the discovery and preclinical stages. ...