CAMBRIDGE, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dyne Therapeutics, a new biotechnology company pioneering targeted therapies for patients with serious muscle diseases, launched today with a $50 million Series A. Atlas Venture founded, seeded and incubated Dyne and was joined by Forbion and MPM Capital in the Series A.
Dyne is developing breakthrough medicines based on its proprietary product platform, which delivers nucleic acids and other molecules to skeletal, cardiac and smooth muscle with unprecedented precision. The company's lead programs are designed to knock down gene expression for the treatment of rare, monogenic neuromuscular diseases. Dyne is also developing therapeutics for patients with cardiac and smooth muscle diseases.
The company’s leadership team and scientific advisors bring unparalleled knowledge of muscle diseases and a proven track record of discovering and developing transformative therapies. Dyne will initially focus on myotonic dystrophy type 1 (DM1), a rare, inherited disorder that causes muscle weakness and other life-limiting complications. There are currently no disease-modifying treatments for DM1, which affects an estimated 40,000 people in the U.S.
“We are launching with a singular goal: to change the lives of patients with DM1 and other serious muscle diseases,” said Romesh Subramanian, Ph.D., president and CEO of Dyne. “Our innovative approach makes this possible, and our commitment to patients and their families makes it necessary. We appreciate the strong support of our investors who share this vision.”
Dyne’s FORCE™ platform specifically targets muscle, minimizing systemic exposure. The company has completed preclinical studies indicating that this approach can deliver oligonucleotides that degrade disease-causing RNA, potentially restoring muscle health.
“Dyne’s breakthrough approach brings the power of modern oligo therapeutics and other payloads to patients with serious muscle diseases," said Jason Rhodes, a partner at Atlas Venture and executive chairman of Dyne’s board of directors. "The combination of tissue-specific delivery, high potency and tolerability enable a broad product pipeline. We are pleased to be working with Dyne’s exceptional team and scientific advisory board and to have Forbion and MPM Capital as partners as we build the company together.”
Dyne is led by a management team with extensive experience in the discovery and clinical development of treatments for rare genetic diseases and novel therapeutic modalities. CEO Romesh Subramanian previously co-founded RaNA Therapeutics (now Translate Bio) and led new modality discovery research at Alexion Pharmaceuticals. Catherine Stehman-Breen, M.D., Dyne’s chief medical officer, held senior leadership roles at Amgen and Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, and most recently served as chief medical officer of Sarepta Therapeutics. Dyne Senior Scientific Advisor Bruce Wentworth, Ph.D., previously served as vice president and head of research for Sarepta, leading a team whose work contributed to the FDA approval of Exondys 51, a treatment for Duchenne muscular dystrophy. Mo Qatanani, Ph.D., Dyne’s vice president of discovery and translational research, previously led drug discovery research programs at Alexion and Merck. Jonathan McNeill, M.D., Dyne's vice president of business development, previously supported business and corporate development at Editas Medicine.
Dyne’s scientific advisory board includes leading academics and researchers in the area of muscle diseases and oligo therapeutics:
- Nancy Andrews, M.D., Ph.D., former dean of the School of Medicine at Duke University and member of the board of directors of the Burroughs Wellcome Fund, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and Novartis AG
- Louis Kunkel, Ph.D., member of the Division of Genetics and Genomics at Boston Children’s Hospital and professor of pediatrics and genetics at Harvard Medical School
- Charles Thornton, M.D., Saunders Distinguished Professor of Neuromuscular Research at the University of Rochester
- Sudhir Agrawal, D.Phil., visiting professor in the Department of Medicine at The University of Massachusetts Medical School and founder of Idera Pharmaceuticals
In addition to Jason Rhodes, Dyne’s board of directors includes Ed Hurwitz, managing director at MPM Capital, Dirk Kersten, general partner at Forbion, and Romesh Subramanian, president and CEO of Dyne.
About Dyne Therapeutics
Dyne Therapeutics is pioneering
targeted therapies for patients with serious muscle diseases. Led by
experts in therapeutic discovery and clinical development, Dyne is
creating antibody conjugates that deliver medicine to the site of
disease, a unique approach with the potential to restore muscle strength
and transform the lives of patients and their families. Dyne was
launched in 2019 and is based in Cambridge, Mass. For more information,
please visit www.dyne-tx.com.
About Atlas Venture
Atlas Venture is a leading biotech
venture capital firm. With the goal of doing well by doing good,
we have been building breakthrough biotech startups since 1993. We work
side by side with exceptional scientists and entrepreneurs to translate
high impact science into medicines for patients. Our seed-led venture
creation strategy rigorously selects and focuses investment on the most
compelling opportunities to build scalable businesses and realize value.
For more information, please visit www.atlasventure.com.
About MPM Capital
MPM Capital is a healthcare investment
firm founding and investing in life sciences companies that seek to cure
major diseases by translating scientific innovations into positive
clinical outcomes. MPM invests in breakthrough therapeutics, with a
focus on oncology. With its experienced and dedicated team of investment
professionals, executive partners, entrepreneurs and scientific advisory
board members, MPM is powering novel medical breakthroughs that
transform patients’ lives. www.mpmcapital.com
About Forbion
Forbion is a dedicated life sciences venture
capital firm with offices in The Netherlands and Germany. Forbion
invests in life sciences companies that are active in the
(bio-)pharmaceutical space. Forbion’s investment team has built an
impressive performance track record since the late nineties with
successful investments in over 60 companies. Forbion manages well over
EUR 1 billion across ten funds. Forbion is a signatory to the United
Nations Principles for Responsible Investment. Besides financial
objectives, Forbion selects investments that will positively affect
health and well-being of patients. Its investors include the EIF,
through its European Recovery Programme (ERP), LfA and Dutch Venture
Initiative (DVI) facilities and the KFW through the ERP – Venture
Capital Fondsfinanzierung facility. Forbion operates a joint venture
with BGV, the manager of seed and early stage funds focused on Benelux
and Germany. www.forbion.com
