BOSTON — Soufflé Therapeutics, Inc., a biotechnology company developing targeted RNA therapies, has raised $135 million in an oversubscribed Series B financing round to advance its lead drug candidates into clinical development and expand its research pipeline.
The financing was led by Juvia Group, with participation from new investors TCG Crossover Management, BB Biotech, Fidelity Management & Research Company, Balyasny Asset Management and a sovereign wealth fund.
Existing investors, including Amgen Ventures, ARCH Venture Partners, Bessemer Venture Partners, Breyer Capital, The Invus Group, Janus Henderson, Leaps by Bayer, Polaris Partners, Safar Partners, TAS Partners, Temasek and Vida Ventures, also participated.
The funding will support clinical development of Soufflé’s three lead programs targeting facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy (FSHD), heart failure and muscle and metabolic disorders. The company also plans to advance additional preclinical programs.
“The confidence this exceptional group of investors has placed in Soufflé supports our belief that the REMEDY cell-specific product engine can make an impact in patients’ lives,” said Amir Nashat, Chief Executive Officer of Soufflé Therapeutics. “We are honored and grateful for their support and partnership as we advance our first program into the clinic.”
Soufflé is developing RNA-based medicines using its proprietary REMEDY (Receptor Mediated Delivery) platform, designed to deliver oligonucleotide therapies to specific cells and tissues outside the liver.
The technology identifies receptors that allow therapeutic molecules to enter targeted cells and uses specialized binding agents, including monoclonal antibodies, to deliver treatments.
The company believes this approach could enable more precise and durable therapies for diseases that have been difficult to treat with existing RNA technologies.
Soufflé’s most advanced program targets striated muscle to treat FSHD, a genetic disorder that causes progressive muscle weakness and currently has no approved disease-modifying treatments.
Its second program targets the phospholamban (PLN) gene in heart muscle cells to address heart failure with reduced ejection fraction. A third program focuses on an undisclosed target associated with muscle and metabolic disorders.
“Cell-selective delivery could change what medicines can achieve for patients across countless diseases. We believe Soufflé has the platform, the pipeline and the people to make it happen,” said Stefan Vitorovic, Co-Founder and Managing Director of Juvia Group.
Chen Yu, Managing Partner at TCG Crossover Management, said the company’s progress in developing treatments for muscular dystrophy and heart failure was a major factor behind the investment.
“We were compelled by Soufflé’s lead programs that are already making meaningful progress in FSHD and heart failure, two diseases with very limited treatment options,” Yu said.
Soufflé said the new financing will help accelerate its transition into clinical development while supporting continued expansion of its targeted RNA therapy platform into additional cell types and tissues.
