Vividion Therapeutics Secures $82M Series B Financing to Advance Small Molecule Targeted Therapies for Cancer and Inflammatory Diseases

VCBeat (WeChat Official Account: vcbeat) learned from foreign media that on April 30, U.S. local time, biotechnology company Vividion Therapeutics completed an $82 million Series B financing round. The funds from this round will be used to support the company’s research into small-molecule covalent protein drugs for the treatment of tumors, cancer, and inflammatory diseases.

It is reported that this round of financing was led by NeXTech Invest, with participation from BVF Partners, Casdin Capital, and Alexandria Venture Investments. In addition, Vividion Therapeutics has expanded its board of directors, with Dr. Jakob Loven, a partner at NeXTech Invest, joining the board.

Vividion Therapeutics, founded in 2013 and headquartered in California, USA, is a biotechnology company. The company is dedicated to the research of small-molecule drugs for the treatment of cancer and inflammation.

Gene expression in the human body produces a variety of proteins that regulate the normal functioning of various physiological systems. When gene mutations occur or the genome is damaged, the resulting proteins lose their normal function, failing to maintain proper physiological regulation and potentially exerting adverse effects on the body. This can lead to pathological conditions such as tumors, cancer, and inflammation.

Vividion Therapeutics has developed small-molecule protein screening methods and cutting-edge chemical synthesis technologies that control human diseases by directly intervening with proteins. Researchers have identified druggable sites on proteins, allowing synthesized small-molecule drugs to bind specifically to these targets and regulate abnormal protein functions. Currently, the company’s drug pipeline primarily consists of three categories: (1) Inhibitory small-molecule drugs: These agents bind to the active sites of target proteins, inhibiting their functional expression and preventing further adverse effects on the body; (2) Allosteric modulating small-molecule drugs: These agents bind to regions outside the active sites of proteins, adjusting the internal structural conformation to restore abnormal proteins to their normal functional state, thereby enabling them to function properly within the body; (3) Targeted protein-degrading small-molecule drugs: These agents bind to target proteins and recruit E3 ligases (degradation enzymes present in the body) to induce protein degradation, thereby eliminating their negative impacts.

Dr. Diego Miralles, CEO of Vividion Therapeutics, stated, “We thank the new investors for their support. We are confident that, with the funding from this round, we can continue to advance the company’s biotechnology initiatives.”

Dr. Jakob Loven, Partner at NeXTech Invest: “We are witnessing the rise of synthetic small-molecule drugs. Vividion Therapeutics is demonstrating through its actions the development potential and broad prospects of this emerging field. We are highly optimistic about our collaboration with Vividion Therapeutics and hope to bring more mature small-molecule compounds to market soon, thereby aiding in the treatment of cancer patients.”

NeXTech Invest, founded in 1998 and headquartered in Zurich, Switzerland, is a venture capital and private equity firm focused on investing in the early, mid, and late-stage development of companies in the biomedical sector. It has completed 25 investments to date. The firm’s primary investment areas include information technology, biotechnology, healthcare, and diagnostic technologies, with a commitment to advancing cancer drug development and oncology diagnostics. Its geographic investment scope covers Africa, Asia, North America, Europe, and other regions.

BVF Partners is a venture capital firm founded in 1993 and headquartered in California, USA. It primarily invests in the early-stage development of companies in the biotechnology sector and has completed 25 investments to date. In addition to providing financial support to startups, the firm leverages its extensive management expertise to help entrepreneurs expand their business operations.

Casdin Capital is a venture capital firm established in 2011 and headquartered in New York, USA. Since its inception, the firm has been dedicated to investing in both early-stage and late-stage development of companies in the biomedicine sector, completing a total of 39 investments to date.

Alexandria Venture Investments is a venture capital firm founded in 1996 and headquartered in the United States. It focuses on investing in growth-stage companies in the healthcare and life sciences sector and has completed 67 investments to date.

(Compiled by Liu Yujing)