Juvaris BioTherapeutics completes second close on its Series B equity financing

Jan 27 2010

Juvaris BioTherapeutics, Inc., a biotechnology company developing adjuvanted vaccines for infectious diseases, announced that it has completed a second close on its Series B equity financing of up to $25 million. The additional equity investment came from an undisclosed strategic corporate investor who joins SV Life Sciences and Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers in the round.

“We are pleased to further strengthen our investor syndicate in advance of completing our ongoing Phase 2 study of JVRS-100 in mid-2010 and as we continue to advance our promising vaccine portfolio”

The funds will be used to advance Juvaris’ novel adjuvant platform of cationic-lipid DNA complexes, which are designed to significantly improve the quality and quantity of immune responses achievable with vaccines, along with the Company’s proprietary adjuvanted vaccine pipeline. Juvaris has shown in clinical development that its lead adjuvant, JVRS-100, produces significant T-cell mediated immune responses and improved antibody responses without evidence of toxicity. JVRS-100 is currently being studied in a 472 subject Phase 2 clinical study to demonstrate its ability to improve seasonal flu vaccines for the elderly population, where there is a significant unmet medical need. Juvaris is also advancing JVRS-100 into clinical development to improve pandemic influenza vaccines and developing a pipeline of proprietary adjuvanted vaccines that includes a HSV-2 (genital herpes) vaccine and a universal influenza vaccine.

“We are pleased to further strengthen our investor syndicate in advance of completing our ongoing Phase 2 study of JVRS-100 in mid-2010 and as we continue to advance our promising vaccine portfolio,” said Grant Pickering, Juvaris President and Chief Executive Officer.