George Church’s GRObio Secures $60M for Clinical Entry

Nearly four years after its inception from George Church’s lab at Harvard Medical School, GRO Biosciences is preparing to advance its lead protein therapeutic into clinical trials. The biotechnology company secured a $60.3 million Series B funding round on Friday to support the transition of its flagship product, ProGly-Uricase, into human trials for severe, refractory gout. This latest round of financing brings GRO Biosciences' total funding to $90 million. The Series B round was co-led by new investors, Atlas Venture and Access Biotechnology, and included contributions from existing investors such as Leaps by Bayer, Redmile Group, Digitalis Ventures, and Innovation Endeavors. Previously, the company had raised $25 million in a Series A round in 2021.

GRO Biosciences is focused on "expanding the amino acid alphabet." The company employs its unique genomically recoded organism (GRO) platform to create protein therapies that incorporate non-standard amino acids (NSAAs). These NSAAs allow for customization of a therapeutic’s structure and chemical characteristics.

For patients with gout who do not respond to standard treatments, uricase enzyme therapy is often administered to break down the uric acid accumulation that typifies the condition. However, the company notes that patients can develop anti-drug antibodies (ADAs) in response to treatment, which can undermine both safety and efficacy.

To address this issue, GRO Biosciences has engineered its experimental drug to minimize the likelihood of triggering an ADA response. ProGly-Uricase includes NSAAs that are glycan-modified, which helps the immune system recognize the therapy as a "self" protein rather than a foreign substance, thereby preventing an immune response.

Beyond its flagship gout treatment, GRO Biosciences is also exploring the development of other ProGly-based therapies aimed at autoimmune diseases. These therapies are designed to induce highly specific tolerance to disease-causing autoantigens without broadly suppressing the immune system.