Tune Therapeutics Secures $175M in Series B for Epigenome Editing Programs

17 January 2025
DURHAM, N.C. & SEATTLE—Tune Therapeutics, a leading company in the field of epigenome editing, has successfully secured over $175 million in funding. This significant financial milestone was led by New Enterprise Associates, Yosemite, Regeneron Ventures, and the Hevolution Foundation. The funding is set to propel the company's ambitious initiatives forward, particularly its ground-breaking work on the TEMPO epi-editing platform.

Dr. Charles Gersbach, a Co-Founder of Tune Therapeutics and researcher at Duke University, played a pivotal role in developing the foundation of the TEMPO platform. He expressed satisfaction with the company's progress, highlighting Tune's landmark achievements in applying epigenetic editing techniques to chronic diseases. With the substantial backing from investors, Tune is poised to further develop a variety of new epi-editing therapies in the future.

Tune's immediate plans include accelerating the development of its current projects, with a particular focus on Tune-401. This innovative drug is in the clinical stage and aims to provide epigenetic silencing for chronic Hepatitis B (HBV). Furthermore, the funding will enhance Tune's ongoing initiatives in gene, cell, and regenerative therapies, aligning with its mission to leverage epigenetic technologies to address widespread chronic diseases.

Reed Jobs, the Founder and Investor at Yosemite, expressed pride in Tune's clinical advancements. He emphasized that the potential applications of epigenetic medicine are vast and ever-expanding, marking a new frontier in transforming disease outcomes. William Greene, Chief Investment Officer at Hevolution Foundation, echoed this sentiment. He lamented the current shortcomings of modern medicine in enhancing active healthspans and proposed that epigenetic editing could herald a transformative era in regenerative medicine.

Since its inception in 2021, Tune Therapeutics has achieved considerable progress with its innovative epigenome editing platform. A notable achievement was announced at the 2023 ASGCT conference, where Tune revealed the successful durable repression of the PCSK9 gene in non-human primates. This genetic tuning resulted in a significant, sustained reduction of LDL cholesterol levels, still evident two years after a single delivery of the epi-silencing construct.

Later in 2023, Tune unveiled Tune-401, a pioneering epigenetic silencer targeting chronic Hepatitis B, a disease affecting over 250 million people worldwide and a leading cause of liver cancer. By November 2024, Tune had advanced to the clinical stage, having received approval to commence clinical trials in New Zealand and Hong Kong. These trials are supported by eminent hepatologists and Principal Investigators, Dr. Ed Gane and Dr. Man-Fung Yuen.

Akira Matsuno, Co-Founder, President, and CFO of Tune Therapeutics, commented on the renewed support from investors, emphasizing the company's readiness to advance its HBV clinical program, invest in its platform, and diversify its pipeline. He acknowledged the investors' confidence in Tune's strategic approach and the compelling data supporting the transformative potential of epi-editing as a therapeutic modality.

About Tune Therapeutics: Tune Therapeutics, with its pioneering genetic tuning platform known as TEMPO, is dedicated to ushering in a new era of human medicine through gene, cell, and regenerative therapies. The company is focused on expanding the applications of these therapies to address common and chronic diseases.

About Tune-401: Tune-401 is an investigational candidate designed for the treatment of Hepatitis B (HBV) infections. It utilizes Tune's versatile TEMPO platform to epigenetically silence viral HBV intDNA and cccDNA, which are crucial for the sustained HBV infection. Acuitas Therapeutics Inc. has provided lipid nanoparticle technology for Tune-401.

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