Carbon Biosciences launches with $38 Million Series A financing

Carbon Biosciences, a Longwood Fund founded biotech company and emerging leader in the development of novel parvovirus-derived gene therapies, today announced a $38 million Series A financing led by Agent Capital.

Agent is joined by Longwood Fund, Astellas Venture Management, the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, Solasta Ventures, University of Tokyo Innovation Platform and Camford Capital.

Carbon is harnessing novel parvovirus vectors that have the potential to deliver larger gene therapy payloads with enhanced tissue specificity and with minimal neutralizing immunity. It is the first start-up launched out of the 2020 incubator created between Longwood Fund and the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.

The company plans to use the funding to advance the development of Carbon’s programs for genetic diseases, initially building on the ground-breaking research of scientific co-founders John Engelhardt, director, Center for Gene Therapy at the University of Iowa, and Robert Kotin, professor of microbiology and physiological systems at the University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School.