Gritstone files for IPO, forges deal with bluebird

Gritstone Oncology Inc. (Emeryville, Calif.) filed for an IPO on NASDAQ and announced a deal with bluebird bio Inc. (NASDAQ:BLUE) to develop cell therapies using natural T cell receptors (TCRs) against tumor-specific targets.

Gritstone filed to raise up to $80 million in an offering underwritten by Goldman Sachs, Cowen, Barclays and BTIG. The biotech has raised $178 million in three rounds of funding to date. Its largest shareholders, Versant Ventures and The Column Group, each hold 14% of its shares; others with stakes greater than 5% include Clarus, Frazier Healthcare Partners, Trinitas Capital, Lilly Asia Ventures, Redmile Group and Gritstone President and CEO Andrew Allen...