BioCentury
ARTICLE | Deals

March 10 Quick Takes: Eddy Wu’s Arctic Vision raises $100M; plus Touchlight, NeoPhore, MediciNova-BARDA and Neurelis

March 11, 2021 1:40 AM UTC

Arctic Vision (Shanghai) Biotechnology Co. Ltd. raised $100 million in a series B round led by Loyal Valley Capital. The funds will go in part to support the company’s trio of late-stage ophthalmology programs and establish in-house R&D capabilities. Also participating in the round are new investors Tencent, Octagon Capital and New World Development Group’s Adrian Cheng and existing investors Nan Fung Life Sciences, Pivotal bioVenture Partners China and Morningside Ventures. After spending about a decade developing ophthalmology drugs for Western biopharmas, CEO Eddy Wu formed the Shanghai-based company in 2019 to address the treatment gaps for eye diseases in China.

"Doggybone DNA" originator Touchlight raises £42M round to boost manufacturing
Touchlight Genetics Ltd. raised a £42 million ($58 million) undisclosed venture round, led by Bridford Investments Ltd., which will enable the London-based DNA company to more than triple its manufacturing footprint and increase its capacity to 1 kilogram of GMP DNA per month in 1Q22. Touchlight's doggybone DNA (dbDNA) is a linear, double-stranded DNA vector with closed ends that can be produced more rapidly and cheaply than plasmid DNA, with a smaller footprint. Touchlight's CDMO arm uses the technology to manufacture viral vectors, cell therapies and mRNA and DNA vaccines for partners, and the company is also developing its own cancer vaccine, COVID-19 vaccine and animal health products...