Zenas BioPharma Raises $200M Series C

Zenas BioPharma, a Waltham, MA-based biopharmaceutical company developing inflammation and immunology-directed therapies, raised $200M in Series C funding.

The round was led by SR One, NEA, Norwest Venture Partners, and Delos Capital with participation from Enavate Sciences, Longitude Capital, the Federated Hermes Kaufmann Funds, and Arrowmark Partners, along with existing investors, Fairmount, Wellington Management, Rock Springs Capital, Pivotal bioVenture Partners, Vivo Capital, Quan Venture Fund, and Superstring Capital. In conjunction with the financing, Jake Nunn, venture partner at SR One, and Tim Xiao, Partner at Delos Capital, joined Zenas’ Board of Directors.

The company intends to use the funds to advance ongoing mid- to late-stage clinical development programs for its lead product candidate, obexelimab, a bifunctional monoclonal antibody designed to bind both CD19 and FcγRIIb to inhibit the activity of B cells, plasmablasts, and CD19-expressing plasma cells.

Led by CEO Lonnie Moulder, Zenas BioPharma is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company committed to developing and commercializing inflammation and immunology (I&I) directed therapies for patients in need around the world. With clinical development capabilities and operations globally, it is advancing a portfolio of potentially differentiated autoimmune therapeutics in areas of high unmet medical need.

The obexelimab clinical programs include an ongoing Phase 3 registration-directed trial in IgG4-Related Disease, two planned Phase 2 randomized controlled trials in Multiple Sclerosis and Systemic Lupus Erythematosus, and an ongoing open label Phase 2 trial in Warm Autoimmune Hemolytic Anemia.

Commenting on the news, Lonnie Moulder said: “We are pleased and appreciative of the support we have received from this group of tremendous life sciences investors as we advance the ongoing obexelimab development program across multiple auto-immune diseases.”