Aura Biosciences Secures $40 Million Series D Financing to Advance Targeted Therapy AU-011 for Choroidal Melanoma

VCBeat (WeChat Official Account: vcbeat) learned from foreign media that on April 2, U.S. local time, biotechnology company Aura Biosciences completed a $40 million Series D financing round. The proceeds from this round will be used to advance the late-stage clinical trials of AU-011, the company’s novel light-activated targeted therapy for ocular cancer.

It is reported that this round of financing was led by Medicxi Ventures. In addition, Aura Biosciences has expanded the size of its board of directors, with Dr. Giovanni Mariggi, a partner at Medicxi Ventures, joining the board of Aura Biosciences.

Aura Biosciences is a biotechnology company founded in 2007 that is currently developing AU-011, a novel drug for the treatment of primary choroidal melanoma. Aura Biosciences is conducting clinical trials of AU-011 in collaboration with the National Cancer Institute of the U.S. National Institutes of Health.

Primary choroidal melanoma is a common primary intraocular tumor in adults, located within the uvea of the eye. Currently, the most common treatment for primary choroidal melanoma is plaque brachytherapy, which involves placing a radioactive device on the exterior of the eye at the site of the tumor. Due to the effects of radiation, this treatment can lead to severe vision loss and cause multiple complications, such as dry eye syndrome, glaucoma, cataracts, and radiation retinopathy. If patients cannot tolerate these sequelae, enucleation (surgical removal of the eye) becomes the only option. In patients with primary choroidal melanoma, intraocular cancer cells are highly prone to metastasis; when cancer cells spread to the liver, the patient’s life is at risk. Although primary choroidal melanoma can be detected in its early stages, due to limitations in medical technology, patients often succumb to death from cancer cell dissemination or ocular infections.

AU-011, a light-activated targeted therapy, is the first drug approved for the treatment of primary choroidal melanoma. It primarily consists of virus-like particle bioconjugates (VPBs) and requires activation via ophthalmic laser. Developed by Dr. John Schiller at the National Cancer Institute’s Center for Cancer Research, VPBs selectively bind to unique receptors on intraocular cancer cells. Upon activation with an ophthalmic laser, VPBs rapidly and specifically disrupt the cell membranes of cancer cells while preserving critical ocular structures. This targeted therapy not only enables comprehensive eradication of cancer cells in the early stages but also protects ocular anatomy, thereby preventing sequelae. AU-011 has been granted FDA approval and is currently undergoing clinical trials.

“This financing round enables Aura Biosciences to continue clinical trials of AU-011, developing the first targeted therapy for patients with primary choroidal melanoma,” said Dr. Elisabet de los Pinos, Chief Executive Officer of Aura Biosciences. “The company is growing rapidly, and we are delighted to have the support of Medicxi Ventures.”

Medicxi Ventures is a European venture capital firm that commenced operations in February 2016, with offices in London, Geneva, and St. Helier, aiming to invest in innovative drug development companies.

(Compiled by Liu Yujing)