Aro Biotherapeutics Raises $13 Million to Advance Next-Generation Protein Therapeutics

VCBeat (WeChat ID: vcbeat) has learned that biotechnology startup Aro Biotherapeutics recently raised $13 million in seed funding through early-stage venture investments from Johnson & Johnson’s strategic venture capital arm, JJDC, and Cleveland-based pharmaceutical accelerator BioMotiv.

It is understood that Aro will utilize these funds to develop and commercialize Centyrins, an innovative new generation of protein therapeutics designed to provide enhanced efficacy and safety for patients with cancer and other serious diseases.

Aro was co-founded in 2018 by Dr. Sue Dillon, former Head of R&D at Johnson & Johnson Pharmaceuticals, and Dr. Karyn O’Neil, with its headquarters located in Philadelphia. The company has currently assembled a highly experienced scientific team and executive management team. Dr. O’Neil and her team at Johnson & Johnson discovered the Centyrin protein therapeutic platform; consequently, Aro holds the exclusive global license for the research, development, manufacturing, and commercialization of Centyrin-based therapies.

“To simplify the complexity of antibodies, we conceived Centyrins,” said Dr. Dillon, Co-founder and CEO of Aro. “This enables Aro scientists to rapidly create bispecific and multispecific Centyrins, while optimizing for potent antitumor activity and high-yield production in Escherichia coli. Furthermore, Aro is advancing Centyrin–nucleic acid drug conjugates to facilitate delivery to tumor cells, immune cells, and other tissues, with the aim of addressing disease challenges considered ‘intractable.’” 

Centyrins are a new generation of protein therapeutics with the potential to enable novel mechanisms of therapeutic action. (Image source: Aro official website)

Centyrins are small, structurally simple, ultra-stable, and highly soluble proteins, features that can help scientists discover drugs with novel mechanisms of action for cancer and other debilitating diseases.

Aro’s primary R&D program is a bispecific Centyrin, currently in the late-stage optimization phase for advanced non-small cell lung cancer. Aro’s second R&D program focuses on developing Centyrin-siRNA conjugates for other forms of cancer. This first-in-class combination aims to address unmet medical needs by effectively delivering high concentrations of drug payloads to targeted disease sites while reducing toxicity to non-target organs.

“Our executive management team brings extensive experience to fulfill our commitment to patients,” added Dr. Dillon, former Head of the Global Therapeutic Area for Immunology at Johnson & Johnson, whose team secured regulatory approvals for numerous innovative antibody products, including REMICADE®, SIMPONI®, STELARA®, and TREMFYA®.

It is reported that Aro has recently identified a candidate product for the treatment of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) in the late discovery stage. This EGFR-targeted therapy for lung cancer is designed to overcome resistance mechanisms associated with existing kinase inhibitors and has currently entered the preclinical development phase.

JJDC (Johnson & Johnson Innovation) is the strategic venture capital arm of Johnson & Johnson, dedicated to seeking opportunities that address critical healthcare needs.

JJDC’s investment portfolio spans pharmaceuticals, medical devices, and consumer health, covering stages from seed financing to Series B. For all portfolio companies, JJDC leverages the full capabilities of the Johnson & Johnson family of companies—including R&D, clinical development, regulatory affairs, manufacturing, and commercialization—to support their growth.

BioMotiv, a mission-driven pharmaceutical accelerator, was founded in 2012.

The company brings together pharmaceutical expertise, capital, and industry partners with the aim of accelerating the process of breakthrough innovations from academic and medical institutions, to benefit patients worldwide.