Red Queen borne by Apple Tree Partners

Life sciences venture capital company Apple Tree Partners (ATP) has unveiled Red Queen Therapeutics, a biotech developing antivirals for the general population and especially for immunocompromised patients at increased risk of serious illness or death from common and emerging viral pathogens.

Red Queen is co-founded by ATP and Loren Walensky, professor of pediatrics at Harvard Medical School, principal investigator and attending physician in the Department of Pediatric Oncology at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute/Boston Children’s Hospital, and Director of the Harvard/MIT MD-PhD Program.

The new startup is operating with a $55 million Series A commitment from ATP and has additional funding from the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA), part of the Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response within the US Department of Health and Human Services, specifically for preclinical development of a pan-influenza therapeutic.