Aug. 31 Quick Takes: HebeCell gains Jacobio funds, deal and Wang as chair

Natick, Mass.-based HebeCell Corp. raised a $53 million series A round led by Beijing-based Jacobio Pharmaceutical Group Co. Ltd. (HKEX:1167) to push its off-the-shelf pluripotent stem cell-based CAR NK therapies into the clinic next year or in early 2023. The financing comes as HebeCell, which is led by CEO John Lu, partnered with Jacobio to develop next-generation natural killer cell therapies based on induced pluripotent stem cells for cancer, viral infection and autoimmune diseases. Jacobio Chairman and CEO Yinxiang Wang, who co-founded Betta Pharmaceuticals Co. Ltd. (SZSE:300558), will become chairman of Hebecell.

ARS Pharmaceuticals Inc. raised $55 million in a Series D round led by SR One, with participation from RA Capital Management and Deerfield Management. Funds will be used to develop Neffy, the company’s nasal spray formulation of epinephrine, which it hopes will be easier to use than the EpiPen. ARS recently named former Allergan Chairman, President and CEO Brent Saunders to its board of directors. RA Capital’s Peter Kolchinsky also joins the board. The EpiPen was targeted by the Trump administration as justification to seek to impose price controls on drugs...