SpliceBio closes €119 million round, the largest for a biotech company in Catalonia.

BarcelonaCatalan biotech company SpliceBio has closed a $135 million (€119 million at the current exchange rate) financing round, the largest ever by a Catalan company in the sector, according to sources at the company who spoke to ARA.

The round was co-led by EQT Life Sciences and Sanofi Ventures, with participation from Roche Venture Fund and other existing investors, such as New Enterprise Associates, UCB Ventures Gilde Healthcare, Novartis Venture Fund, and the Catalan funds Ysios Capital and Asa.

The funds will be used for the clinical development of the company's lead program, SB-007, a gene therapy targeting the treatment of Stargardt disease. This program will include the Phase 1/2 clinical trial and the Polaris observational clinical trial.

SpliceBio develops gene therapies using its Protein Splicing technology. SB-007 is the first gene therapy of its kind to receive FDA approval to enter clinical trials for Stargardt disease. This program has also received approval to begin clinical trials from the UK regulator, the MHRA.

Stargardt disease is an inherited retinal disorder caused by mutations in the ABCA4 gene, which causes progressive vision loss leading to blindness, and for which there are currently no approved treatments. SB-007 enables retinal cells to produce the ABCA4 protein, thereby addressing the underlying genetic cause of the disease. This allows treatment of all Stargardt patients, regardless of their ABCA4 mutation.

Ophthalmology & Neurology

The funds raised, in addition to developing SB-007, will accelerate the company's gene therapies in ophthalmology, neurology, and other undisclosed therapeutic areas using Protein Splicing technology.

SpliceBio, of which Miquel Vila-Perelló is CEO and co-founder, is a biotechnology company from Barcelona that has developed the Protein Splicing technology platform, which is based on a technology developed by Dr. Mui at Princeton University. Vila-Perelló highlights "the support of such prominent investors" that demonstrate "the strength of our programs and technology," as well as the potential "to address untreatable diseases."

Coinciding with the financing round, Daniela Begolo, director of EQT Life Sciences, partner Sanofi Ventures' Laia Crespo and Roche Venture Fund director Carole Nuechterlein will join SpliceBio's board of directors.