SonoThera, a biotech company dedicated to curing the underlying causes of human diseases through genetic therapy, announced today the completion of its $60.75 million Series A funding round. The funding will help SonoThera continue to develop its ultrasound-guided, nonviral gene therapy platform and treatments, which are aimed to offer patients with genetic medications.
ARCH Venture Partners, the lead investor, was joined by Illumina Ventures, Johnson & Johnson Innovation – JJDC, Inc., Vertex Ventures HC, and Medical Excellence Capital. Eli Lilly & Company, Alexandria Venture Investments, Lifespan Investments, Formic Ventures, Foothill Ventures, and Wilson Sonsini also participated in this investment round.
Funding will support platform optimization, preclinical development, early manufacturing, and initial proof of concept in humans.
SonoThera, Inc., founded by Drs. Kenneth Greenberg, Michael Davidson, and Steve Feinstein, is a biotechnology company dedicated to treating the underlying cause of human disease through genetic therapy. SonoThera is developing a nonviral, ultrasound-guided gene therapy platform and treatments to provide patients with the next generation of safe and effective genetic medicines. The platform employs sonoporation, a microbubble-mediated biophysical process that delivers genetic payloads selectively to a variety of organs within the body. The company’s headquarters are in South San Francisco, California.
Sonoporation, a microbubble-mediated biophysical process, is used by SonoThera’s ultrasound-guided platform to non-invasively transfer genetic payloads of various formats and sizes, selectively targeting a wide range of organs within the body. Unlike traditional gene therapies, this approach does not require the use of viral vectors, which can be immunogenic and pose safety and efficacy issues.
