Leading epigenome editing company Tune Therapeutics announced the completion of over $175 million in financing led by New Enterprise Associates, Yosemite, Regeneron Ventures, and Hevolution Foundation.
This funding will accelerate the development of the company’s existing pipeline, which is currently anchored by Tune-401 – its clinical-stage epigenetic silencing drug for chronic Hepatitis B (HBV). And it will also support the development of additional gene, cell, and regenerative therapy programs already underway at Tune and progress its broader mission of bringing the power and versatility of epigenetic therapies to bear on common and chronic diseases.
Since being founded in 2021, Tune has made impressive strides in developing and applying its novel and potentially transformative epigenome editing platform. And At the 2023 ASGCT conference, Tune announced a global first in the field: the durable repression of a therapeutically relevant gene (PCSK9) in non-human primates using genetic tuning. And this gene repression was accompanied by an enduring reduction of LDL cholesterol levels that is ongoing almost 2 years after a single, transient delivery of the epi-silencing construct. Later that year, the company unveiled Tune-401, a first-in-class epigenetic silencer for chronic Hepatitis B. This condition impacts over 250 million people and is the leading cause of liver cancer worldwide.
In November of 2024, Tune revealed it was moving to the clinical stage, having received approval to begin clinical trials in New Zealand and, subsequently, in Hong Kong – which is supported by world-renowned hepatologists and Principal Investigators Dr. Ed Gane and Dr. Man-Fung Yuen, respectively. And with its lead program now in the clinic, Tune is leveraging this momentum to enhance its platform capabilities and develop its other gene and cell therapy programs.
KEY QUOTES:
“It is deeply gratifying to have seen this platform and company evolve so far. Tune has already achieved a global landmark in the field in the clinical application of epi-editing to a common and chronic disease. Thanks to the support of our investors, we anticipate the development of many more new epi-editing therapies in the years to come.”
– Tune Co-Founder Dr. Charles Gersbach, whose research at Duke University formed the basis for Tune’s TEMPO epi-editing platform
“We are incredibly proud to see Tune progress successfully into the clinic. The Yosemite team has been an enthusiastic backer of Tune from the beginning, as we feel that few technologies have the biological power of epigenetic medicine to transform disease outcomes for the better. The range of potential applications and indications is vast and will only continue to expand.”
– Reed Jobs, Founder and Investor at Yosemite
“To date, modern medicine and pharmacology has done much to extend our lifespans, but far less for our active healthspans. Chronic diseases of ageing are accelerating in incidence, prevalence, and severity, and current approaches are simply inadequate. It is our belief that epigenetic editing may prove to be the transformative modality we need to enable a new era of regenerative medicine.”
– William Greene, Chief Investment Officer at Hevolution Foundation
“With this renewed support, we are well-positioned to advance our HBV clinical program, to invest in our platform, and to expand our pipeline. We are grateful to all our investors for their deep confidence in our team and approach, backed by compelling data that continues to underscore the transformational potential of epi-editing as a therapeutic modality.”
– Akira Matsuno, Co-Founder, President and CFO of Tune Therapeutics
