Jasper Therapeutics Secures $35 Million Series A Financing to Advance Clinical Development of Stem Cell Transplant Therapy

VCBeat (WeChat ID: vcbeat) learned via Business Wire that on December 4, 2019, biotechnology company Jasper Therapeutics announced the completion of a $35 million Series A financing round. The round was led by Abingworth and Qiming Venture Partners USA, with participation from Surveyor Capital and Alexandria Venture Investments. Reportedly, the funds will be used to advance the clinical development of the company’s lead candidate, JSP191.

In addition, Kurt von Emster, Executive Partner at Abingworth, and Dr. Anna French, Head of Qiming Venture Partners USA, have joined the Board of Directors of Jasper.

Jasper is a biotechnology company dedicated to providing safer conditioning and therapeutic agents to expand the application of curative hematopoietic stem cell transplantation and gene therapies. Jasper was co-founded by Judith Shizuru, M.D., a hematopoietic stem cell transplantation expert at Stanford University, and Susan Prohaska, an immunologist, stem cell biologist, and early-stage drug development expert at Stanford University.

Hematopoietic stem cells are cells located in the bone marrow, responsible for the production and maintenance of all blood and immune cells. These stem cells may carry genetic or acquired abnormalities, leading to various diseases such as immunodeficiencies, blood disorders, or hematologic cancers. Successful transplantation of hematopoietic stem cells is the only way to address this issue. Currently, common therapies include radiation therapy and chemotherapy, but these can cause DNA damage in patients and result in short-term or long-term toxicity. Therefore, there is an urgent need in the market for a new therapy that is both effective and non-toxic.

Jasper’s lead compound, JSP191, a conditioning antibody, is in clinical development with the aim of replacing chemotherapy or reducing the toxicity of chemotherapy and radiation therapy. This antibody can also clear hematopoietic stem cells from the bone marrow of patients preparing for stem cell transplantation, thereby facilitating the transplant procedure.

The development of JSP191 has been supported through a collaboration with the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM), which has funded the program and committed a total of $23 million in grant support. Dr. Shizuru further investigated the ability of anti-CD117 to affect hematopoietic stem cells in her CIRM-funded laboratory, conducting research in partnership with the pediatric transplant teams at Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital, Stanford University, and the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF).

JSP191 is currently undergoing Phase I clinical trials to evaluate its potential as a conditioning agent for enabling stem cell transplantation in patients with severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID), a serious genetic immune disorder that compromises immune system function. Interim results from this study will be presented in an oral report at the 61st American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting and Exposition, held in Orlando, Florida, on December 9. The clinical trial aims to assess the safety and efficacy of JSP191 as a conditioning regimen for patients receiving hematopoietic cell therapy, with plans to advance its development in 2020.

Dr. Shizuru stated, “JSP191 is the only anti-CD117 antibody proven to be safe and effective in clinical stem cell transplantation. We plan to expand the scope of clinical development to include transplantation for acute myeloid leukemia or autoimmune diseases, as well as stem cell-targeted gene therapies.”

T. Millan, President and Chief Executive Officer of CIRM, stated, “By investing in this program, we can help academic researchers rapidly translate experimental findings into the clinic and collaborate with commercial partners on drug development, thereby swiftly advancing the mission of stem cell therapies. The two co-founders of Jasper have adopted a unique novel antibody and quickly advanced it into clinical development. We are delighted to partner with this outstanding and professional team.”

Abingworth, founded in 1973 and headquartered in London, UK, is an international venture capital firm dedicated to investing in the life sciences sector, currently managing over $1 billion in assets.

(Compiled by Jiang Ying)