Marea Therapeutics Secures $190M for Cardiometabolic Medicine Development

1. Marea Therapeutics Raises $190M: The biotech company has secured $190 million in funding for its clinical-stage cardiometabolic program, which aims to harness genetics to pioneer new treatments for cardiometabolic diseases.
2. Lead Program MAR001: Marea's lead program, MAR001, is a monoclonal antibody designed to inhibit ANGPTL4, a protein highly expressed in body fat. The therapy has shown promising results in preclinical models and a phase 1 trial, reducing triglycerides, remnant cholesterol, and ectopic fat while improving insulin sensitivity.
3. Phase 2 Trial: The company plans to launch a phase 2b trial assessing MAR001 for metabolic dysfunction in the beginning of next year, with the goal of reducing cardiovascular events for high-risk patients.
4. Management Team: Marea is led by CEO Josh Lehrer, M.D., who has extensive experience in the biotech industry, and includes other notable figures such as Ethan Weiss, M.D., as chief scientific officer, and Christine Garrett, Ph.D., as chief strategy officer.
5. Pipeline Expansion: Marea is also working on a pipeline of additional candidates targeting other cardiometabolic diseases, including heart attack, diabetes, stroke, and metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH).