Tolerance Bio Secures $17.2M Seed Funding to Develop Thymus-Targeted Cell Therapies

Funding:
Tolerance Bio has raised $17.2 million in a seed funding round led by Columbus Venture Partners, with participation from Ben Franklin Technology Partners of Southeastern Pennsylvania, BioAdvance of Radnor, Criteria Bio Ventures, Sessa Capital, and individual biotechnology investors.

Therapy Platform:
The company is developing an allogeneic, or "off the shelf," thymus-induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)-based cell therapy platform to treat immune-mediated diseases such as cancer, autoimmunity, transplant rejection, infections, immune deficiencies, and allergies.

Founding and Team:
Tolerance Bio was co-founded by Dr. Francisco Leon, who serves as CEO. The company's scientific co-founder is Holger Russ, an associate professor at the University of Florida. The team includes experienced professionals in drug and cell therapy development.

Technology Origin:
The technologies were initially developed at the University of Colorado and the University of Florida by Holger Russ and advanced by a team including Dr. Francisco Leon.

Goals:
The company aims to delay and prevent thymic involution, restore thymic function if lost, and address immune diseases, potentially increasing longevity.