Dallas-based biotechnology company Signify Bio has launched with an oversubscribed $15 million initial financing round, positioning itself to advance a novel approach to protein therapeutics that harnesses the human body's own cellular machinery. The financing was led by Actium Group with participation from the Gates Foundation Strategic Investment Fund, Danaher Ventures LLC, Eli Lilly and Company, and BrightEdge, the American Cancer Society's venture capital arm.
Proprietary Platform Technology
Signify Bio has developed three proprietary platforms designed to control the production, secretion, and localization of protein therapeutics directly within the human body. The company's flagship Signal peptide Engineered Nucleic acid Design (SEND) platform enables modular control over the secretion and localization of any nucleic acid encodable protein of interest.
The SEND platform supports control over protein secretion into systemic circulation and localization to specific cellular organelles including the cell membrane, nucleus, lysosome, mitochondria, and synapse. This approach replicates natural protein trafficking pathways by utilizing signal peptides that direct where proteins are produced and delivered within cells.
Advanced Delivery Systems
The company's second platform, iPhos, represents a novel lipid nanoparticle delivery system based on ionizable phospholipid lipid nanoparticles (iPLNPs) engineered to maximize endosomal escape and tissue specificity. The iPhos LNP system enables dose-dependent protein secretion from diverse cell types with compatibility across multiple administration routes including subcutaneous, intramuscular, and intravenous delivery.
Signify Bio's third platform utilizes computational methods for the design and discovery of novel signal peptide sequences, enhancing the precision and effectiveness of protein targeting.
Strategic University Partnership
Originally conceived in the Siegwart Lab at University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Signify Bio maintains a strategic partnership with the university that provides access to world-class scientific expertise and cutting-edge technology. This collaboration offers scalable lipid nanoparticle manufacturing capabilities, nucleic acid generation, and broad expertise ranging from chemical synthesis to pre-clinical models.
"Signify Bio's modular platforms offer an unprecedented opportunity to engineer personalized protein therapeutics directly within the body, addressing long-standing challenges in drug production, delivery, and efficacy," said Daniel J. Siegwart, Ph.D., co-founder and chief scientific advisor at Signify Bio and director of the Program in Genetic Drug Engineering at UT Southwestern Medical Center. "With its versatility and adaptability, the company lays the groundwork for a new generation of precision medicine across a wide range of chronic and genetic disorders."
Leadership and Vision
RA Session II, co-founder and CEO of Signify Bio, previously founded Dallas-based Taysha Gene Therapies where he served as president and CEO. Session emphasized the transformative potential of the company's approach: "The SEND platform and iPhos LNP system represent a groundbreaking step forward in nucleic acid therapeutics, transforming the human body into a biofactory for precise, targeted protein production."
Jun Il Kwun, managing director of Actium Group and board chair at Signify Bio, highlighted the investment rationale: "The exceptional team at Signify Bio, with their deep expertise in nucleic acid engineering, is uniquely positioned to bring these technologies to patients. Their groundbreaking innovations and commitment to addressing unmet medical needs will transform the field of genetic medicine."
Therapeutic Applications
The company's mission centers on creating personalized medicines by combining signal peptide engineered control with mRNA encoded design capabilities. The platforms are designed to drive innovation in personalized protein therapeutics, with potential applications across chronic and genetic disorders where precise protein delivery and localization are critical for therapeutic efficacy.
