IL-2 without the toxic side effects? Orbimed backs the idea in Synthorx' $63M round
A startup in San Diego that’s boldly re-writing the code for life by expanding the genetic “alphabet” just got a big infusion of cash from Orbimed. The company, called Synthorx, raised $63 million on the promise of potential therapies built on breakthroughs in synthetic biology.
Synthorx is building its tech on work pioneered by Floyd Romesberg, a professor at The Scripps Research Institute in San Diego, who found a way to extend the genetic alphabet. In addition to the natural DNA base pairs A-T and G-C, Romesberg developed a third, synthetic base pair coined X-Y. The extra pair creates a huge opportunity to tweak proteins, as they can be built with up to 172 amino acids instead of the measly 20 available with natural base pairs.
Unlock this article instantly by becoming a free subscriber.
You’ll get access to free articles each month, plus you can customize what newsletters get delivered to your inbox each week, including breaking news.
