Zag Bio is a Cambridge, Massachusetts-based startup that emerged from stealth with an $80 million Series A round led by T1D Fund and Polaris Partners135911.
The round included major investments from pharmaceutical companies AbbVie, Regeneron, and Sanofi1511.
Zag Bio's technology focuses on developing thymus-targeted therapies to modulate regulatory T cells (Tregs), which play a key role in immune tolerance1345911.
Their approach is intended to restore central immune tolerance by delivering antigens specifically to the thymus, promoting the production of antigen-specific Tregs while reducing antigen-specific effector T cells15.
CEO Jason Cole describes the company's strategy as intentionally moving in a new direction by targeting the 'natural mechanisms in the thymus,' differentiating Zag Bio from other players in the autoimmune field1.
The startup plans to bring its lead candidate, aimed at treating Type 1 diabetes, into Phase 1 clinical trials next year1511.
Zag Bio's launch comes amid a broader industry push toward regulatory T cell therapies, following recent scientific recognition of the importance of Tregs in treating autoimmune diseases511.
Sources:
1. https://www.fiercebiotech.com/biotech/3-biopharma-heavies-contribute-80m-series-round-tregs-specialist-zag-bio
3. https://www.bioworld.com/articles/725730-zag-bio-launches-with-80m-to-dampen-immune-response-via-thymus
4. https://www.bioworld.com/articles/topic/391-newco-news
5. https://decodingbio.substack.com/p/biobyte-138-understanding-codon-translation
9. https://lifescivoice.com/thymus-targeted-breakthrough-zag-bio-raises-80m/
11. https://www.biopharmadive.com/news/zag-bio-treg-autoimmune-type-1-diabetes/803781/