iZumi, Pierian merge, raise $11.5 million

iZumi Bio Inc. (South San Francisco, Calif.) merged with Pierian Inc. (Boston, Mass.) to create iPierian Inc. The combined company, which will be located in South San Francisco, received an investment of $11.5 million from a series A2 round led by MPM Capital, with participation by FinTech Capital Partners. The newco will continue to use iZumi’s induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cell technology to discover therapeutics through cellular reprogramming and directed differentiation of patient cells. The initial focus will be on spinal muscular atrophy, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and Parkinson's disease. ...