NEW YORK (GenomeWeb) – Goldfinch Bio announced its launch today with $55 million in Series A financing from Third Rock Ventures.
The firm said that it will use a patient database to collect and integrate genomic and phenotypic data to inform drug development. "Goldfinch will focus on actionable targets for intervention and develop precision therapies for genetically stratified patient groups," the firm noted in a statement, adding it would initially go after orphan indications with a known genetic component, such as focal segmental glomerulosclerosis and polycystic kidney disease.
"Current treatment options for patients with progressive kidney disease are often off-label, non-specific, and carry significant toxicities," Abbie Celniker, a Third Rock Ventures partner and Goldfinch Bio interim CEO, said in a statement. "By building on recent breakthroughs from our founders to better understand the molecular processes of kidney disease, we see a unique opportunity to spur a renaissance in the discovery and development of new therapies to treat the underlying causes of disease."
The Cambridge, Massachusetts-based company counts several experts in genetics and kidney disease among its co-founders: Joseph Bonventre of Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard University, Friedhelm Hildebrandt of Boston Children's Hospital and Harvard, Daniel MacArthur of the Broad Institute, and Stefan Somlo of Yale University.
Third Rock Ventures has backed several genomics-related healthcare companies in recent years, including Editas Medicine, Voyager Therapeutics, and Foundation Medicine.