4s3 Bioscience Lands $20M

4s3 Bioscience, Inc. (4s3), a privately-held biotherapeutics company focused on developing genetic disease therapies for orphan neuromuscular disorders announced today the closing of a $20 million Series A financing with KLP Enterprises, LLC (KLP).

KLP’s subsidiary, Alopexx Enterprises, LLC (Alopexx), will work with 4s3 to build and manage the company. The funding will be used to support the continued development of a proprietary antibody technology that provides targeted and active intracellular delivery of active proteins, enzymes and other macromolecules to skeletal muscle.

“We are excited to be working with 4s3,” said Dr. Daniel Vlock, CEO and Founder of Alopexx. “We are very impressed with the broad applicability of 4s3’s antibody technology and the company’s robust intellectual property portfolio. The in vivo preclinical data validates the potential for this approach.”

Application of the 4s3 technology enables the replacement of deficient proteins to skeletal muscle and holds promise for treating the underlying causes of muscular dystrophies, myopathies, motor neuron diseases, diseases of the neuromuscular junction and various enzyme deficiency disorders.

“A major obstacle to the treatment of genetic neuromuscular diseases is the challenge of delivering functional macromolecules to skeletal muscle tissue,” said Dustin Armstrong, Ph.D., Vice-President of Research at 4s3. “Our approach represents a novel therapeutic strategy to address numerous indications with no currently approved therapies.”
“We are extremely pleased to have received this financing,” said Timothy Harris, President and CEO of 4s3. “This funding will greatly enhance our ability to expand our platform and accelerate therapeutic advancements for unmet medical needs, including diseases such as Myotubular Myopathy and Myotonic Dystrophy.” Financial details of the transaction are not being disclosed.

About 4s3 Bioscience, Inc.

4s3 Bioscience is an emerging Boston-area biotechnology company, focused on developing genetic disease therapies for orphan neuromuscular disorders. The company’s platform is an antibody-based system capable of enhanced intracellular delivery of active proteins, enzymes and other macromolecules to skeletal muscle. 4s3 was founded in 2007 by Vice President of Research, Dustin Armstrong, Ph.D. and President and CEO, Timothy Harris and received seed funding from Genzyme Ventures in 2008. The company has strong intellectual property protecting its platform, including a licensed portfolio from UCLA. In addition to the Series A financing, the company has received prior funding from the following organizations: Massachusetts Life Science Center, the Muscular Dystrophy Association, National Institute of Health, and the HHS Therapeutic Discovery Project. 4s3 occupies laboratory space at the UMass Boston Venture Development Center. For more information please go to www.4s3bioscience.com

About KLP Enterprises, LLC

KLP is a trust formed by the Pritzker/Vlock family office. The Pritzker/Vlock family office is managed by Karen Pritzker and Michael Vlock. This enterprise owns and manages a broad portfolio of public equities, consumer, biotech, industrial, medical equipment and technology businesses, several seed capital and venture funds, real estate, and has substantial private equity ownership of Global Hyatt Corporation, TransUnion LLC, Triton Container International Corporation and the Marmon Group.

About Alopexx Enterprises, LLC

Alopexx Enterprises, LLC is a healthcare company focused on investing and developing preclinical and early clinical compounds, with an emphasis on infectious diseases, oncology, CNS and orphan diseases. It was founded in 2011 by highly-experienced pharmaceutical executives and leverages the unique insights and experiences of its founders and world-class scientific advisors. Beyond the financial investment, the group is able to offer hands-on expertise in preclinical development, manufacturing, regulatory affairs, logistics, clinical development and partnering.