Fortitude Biomedicines Launches with $13M Seed Funding to Advance Novel GLUE-DAC Platform for Cancer and Autoimmune Diseases
核心洞察
Fortitude Biomedicines (搜索) secured $13 million in seed funding co-led by K2 Bio Partners (搜索), Shanghai Healthcare Angel Capital (搜索), and Elikon Venture (搜索) to advance its antibody-based therapies for autoimmune diseases (搜索) and cancer (搜索).
The company's proprietary GLUE-DAC (搜索) platform combines antibody targeting with molecular glue payloads for targeted protein degradation (搜索), potentially expanding therapeutic windows and overcoming ADC resistance mechanisms.
Proceeds will support the lead immune cell targeting biologic program through IND-enabling studies while advancing additional oncology and autoimmune programs using the GLUE-DAC (搜索) discovery engine.
Fortitude Biomedicines (搜索) has launched with $13 million in seed financing to advance its novel antibody-drug conjugate platform and immune cell targeting biologics for treating autoimmune diseases (搜索) and cancer (搜索). The round was co-led by K2 Bio Partners (搜索), Shanghai Healthcare Angel Capital (搜索) (SHAC), and Elikon Venture (搜索), with additional participation from Everjoy Fortune and Taihill Venture.
GLUE-DAC Platform Addresses ADC Resistance
The company is developing two core technology approaches: immune cell-targeting biologics and a proprietary antibody-drug conjugate platform called GLUE-DAC (搜索). This next-generation ADC platform pairs antibody targeting with proprietary molecular glue payloads that enable targeted protein degradation (搜索).
GLUE-DAC (搜索) was originally developed in Professor Jin Wang's research laboratory at Baylor College of Medicine. The platform integrates the precision targeting of ADCs with the catalytic power of targeted protein degradation (搜索), potentially expanding the therapeutic window of ADCs, overcoming resistance mechanisms, and unlocking new therapeutic targets.
"Resistance is increasingly emerging as a challenge in the current ADC therapeutic landscape. The field urgently needs payloads with distinct mechanisms of action," said Dr. Jin Wang, Professor in Pharmacology at Baylor College of Medicine. "GLUE-DAC (搜索) technology meets this unmet need by combining the validated delivery capabilities of antibodies with the transformative potential of targeted protein degradation (搜索)."
Experienced Leadership Team
Fortitude was co-founded by serial entrepreneur Jesse Chen, Ph.D., and Jin Wang, Ph.D. Chen, who previously co-founded TRIANA Biomedicines (搜索) and Avilar Therapeutics (搜索), serves as President and CEO, bringing nearly two decades of discovery research and management experience spanning early discovery through preclinical development.
Wang serves as Director at the Center for NexGen Therapeutics and is the Michael E. DeBakey, M.D. Endowed Professor in Pharmacology at Baylor College of Medicine. The company's board includes independent Chair Tim Noyes, President and CEO of Newleos Therapeutics, and institutional director Yunhai Wang, Ph.D., Managing Partner at K2 Bio Partners (搜索).
Funding to Advance Pipeline Development
Proceeds from the seed round will support the company's lead immune cell targeting biologic program through IND-enabling studies, while also advancing additional oncology and autoimmune programs using its GLUE-DAC (搜索) drug discovery engine.
"Fortitude is at the forefront of a new era in therapeutic innovation. With proprietary antibody-based technology, we are unlocking the ability to precisely target diseases while engaging the body's own biology in powerful, transformative ways," said Dr. Jesse Chen, President and CEO of Fortitude. "GLUE-DAC (搜索) is a powerful modality that aims to redefine precision medicines and bring new hope to patients."
Investor Confidence in Novel Approach
The investors expressed strong confidence in Fortitude's differentiated approach to addressing current therapeutic limitations. "Fortitude Biomedicines (搜索) is dedicated to developing next-generation biologics and ADC technology for immunotherapy and oncology therapy," said Dr. Yunhai Wang, Managing Partner at K2 Bio Partners (搜索). "We believe that Fortitude has the potential to become a leading international enterprise in immunotherapy and oncology treatment."
Samuel Guo, Partner of SHAC, highlighted the platform's potential to transform the therapeutic landscape: "Fortitude employs a unique platform to develop novel payloads for antibody-drug conjugates, addressing resistance seen with conventional ADCs and extending this modality to autoimmune diseases (搜索), which is a meaningful and transformative effort for the current therapeutic landscape."
Fortitude is headquartered in Waltham, Massachusetts, and describes itself as building a differentiated pipeline of biologics and ADCs for patients with high unmet medical needs.