Immunotherapy play Tizona raises $43M

Tizona Therapeutics Inc. (South San Francisco, Calif.) raised $43 million in a series B round co-led by Abingworth and Canaan Partners. Lightstone Ventures also participated, as did existing investors MPM Capital, Amgen Ventures, Astellas Venture Management and InterWest Partners.

The biotech is developing oncology therapies that target immune suppression in the tumor microenvironment, and therapies that target self-reactivity for autoimmune diseases. Tizona expects to begin clinical studies next year of its lead candidate, a mAb targeting CC chemokine receptor 4 (CCR4; CD194) to treat cancer. ...