nChroma Bio: A New Entity Created from the Consolidation of Genetic Medicine Firms
nChroma has been successfully launched with a substantial backing of million in funding. This financing round was spearheaded by Cormorant Asset Management, ARCH Venture Partners, Atlas Venture, and Newpath Partners, with support from various other investors.
The flagship therapy of this new entity, known as CRMA-1001, is designed to target the liver, utilizing epigenetic editing techniques aimed at treating hepatitis B and D. The strategy will employ lipid nanoparticles for effective liver targeting. Additionally, the company aims to explore Nvelop’s innovative delivery systems to extend treatment beyond the liver, addressing challenges that have previously been encountered in this field.
Jeff Walsh, who has a background with bluebird bio, will take the helm as CEO of the newly merged company. Catherine Stehman-Breen, the CEO of Chroma Medicine, will transition to an advisory role, stepping down from her current position. Meanwhile, Jeff Marrazzo, co-founder of Spark Therapeutics and a former board member for both Chroma and Nvelop, will take on the role of Chairman of the Board for nChroma.
Combining talents
The last decade has seen significant advancements in genetic medicine, catalyzed by the success of mRNA vaccines during the pandemic, breakthroughs in gene therapy, and the introduction of CRISPR-Cas9 technology for precise gene editing.
Founded in 2021 with an impressive 5 million in seed funding, Chroma Bio aimed to push the boundaries of gene editing by targeting the epigenome, focusing on the markers that influence gene expression in response to various stimuli.
Nvelop started in a stealth phase in 2022 and officially initiated operations earlier this year after securing 0 million in funding. With insights from gene editing pioneers David Liu and Keith Joung, the company concentrated on genetic medicine delivery, launching two validated in vivo delivery platforms, DLVR-M and DLVR-X. These systems strive to reduce or eliminate viral proteins in delivery vectors, making the process more efficient and targeted, while minimizing off-target effects.
The funding provided, along with capital raised by each organization in prior years, positions these companies to further develop their combined technologies.
Walsh remarked in a press statement, “This union represents a compelling opportunity to bring together a truly novel and differentiated cargo company and a next generation in vivo delivery company to fully enable the future of in vivo genetic medicine.”
He added, “The new company will allow us to leverage the technologies, talent, and capital of both organizations to drive products into the clinic and to forge strategic partnerships to expand our reach into new tissues and diseases.”