Columbus Venture Partners Portfolio Company, Aura Biosciences, is trading on the Nasdaq Global Market
- Aura Biosciences (Cambridge, USA), whose founder is the spanish Elisabet de los Pinos, develops a technological innovative platform for multiple oncological diseases, which first product AU-011, that has finalized its phase II, is indicated for choroidal melanoma, an orphaned disease.
- Columbus Venture Partners has invested through its fund Columbus INNVIERTE Life Science FCR, from Serie B financing until pre OPS one, and has participated in the OPS through its third fund
- This entry in Nasdaq joins the previous exits of Columbus INNVIERTE Life Science FCR, in which are included the acquisition of AksBio and Viralgen of r $4B by Bayer, and the one of PTS to the US fund Arcline.
Cambridge – Valencia, November 4th 2021. The American company Aura Biosciences, partly owned by Columbus Venture Partners, has completed its entry in the stock market through NASDAQ Global Market with an IPO. Stock options began trading in October 29th. The IPO offered 5.400.000 ordinary shares at a subscription price of 14$ each, In addition, Aura has granted the underwriters a 30-day option to purchase up to an additional 810,000 shares of common stock at the initial public offering price less underwriting discounts and commissions.
Columbus Venture Partners has been supporting the company since Series B through its fund Columbus INNVIERTE Life Science FCR, and also in the «pre IPO» series in March 2021, where the possible IPO was already an option with a 80$M investment round. Columbus Venture Partners has participated in the IPO through his third fund, Columbus Life Sciences Fund III.
Stock options began trading in October 29th on Nasdaq Global Select Market as «AURA».
The gross proceeds of the offering, before deducting underwriting discounts and commissions and other offering expenses payable by Aura, are expected to be $75.6 million.
Javier García, Managing Partner of Columbus Venture Partners, says: “It is a great satisfaction to witness this great milestone of Aura. The commitment of the management team and its CEO Elisabet de los Pinos to the project have been made possible to overcome countless obstacles and also treating patients with ocular melanoma is being now closer.” Javier García adds: “I have known Eli and the Aura project since its inception. It should be a case study for Spanish biotechnology. The project began in Spain and later went to the United States, so had been able to access to new technology that makes Aura grows potentially. During this time, the first Spanish investors of the project kept on their commitment to the company and this success is also a tribute to their support during all these years.”
This entry in Nasdaq joins the previous exits of Columbus INNVIERTE Life Science FCR, in which are included the acquisition of AksBio and Viralgen of r $4B by Bayer, and the one of PTS to the US fund Arcline.
Cowen, SVB Leerink, Evercore ISI and BTIG have been jointly managing the offer.
About Aura Biosciences
Aura Biosciences, Inc. is a clinical-stage oncology company developing a novel technology platform based on virus-like drug conjugates (VDCs) to target and destroy cancer cells selectively while activating the immune system to create long lasting anti-tumor immunity. The VDC technology platform is based on the discoveries of NIH Distinguished Investigator Dr. John Schiller of the Center for Cancer Research at the National Cancer Institute. The company has the goal of developing this technology in multiple cancer indications with an initial focus on primary choroidal melanoma, a rare disease for which there are no approved drugs.
Aura’s lead product candidate belzupacap sarotalocan (AU-011) is currently in Phase 2 development for the first-line treatment of primary choroidal melanoma, a vision and life-threatening form of eye cancer where the standard of care radioactive treatments leave patients with major vision loss and severe comorbidities. AU-011 was well tolerated in a Phase 1b/2 trial, demonstrating high rates of tumor control and vision preservation. Future pipeline applications for Aura’s technology include additional ocular oncology indications like choroidal metastases and solid tumor indications like non-muscle invasive bladder cancer. Aura is headquartered in Cambridge, MA. For more information, visit www.aurabiosciences.com
ABOUT AU-011
AU-011 is a first-in-class targeted therapy in development for the treatment of primary choroidal melanoma, and the main product of Aura. The therapy consists of proprietary viral-like particle bioconjugates (VPB) that are activated with an ophthalmic laser. Upon activation with an ophthalmic laser, the drug rapidly and specifically disrupts the cell membrane of tumor cells while sparing key eye structures, which may allow for the potential of preserving patients’ vision and reducing other long-term complications of radiation treatment. AU-011 can be delivered using equipment commonly found in an ophthalmologist’s office and does not require a surgical procedure, pointing to a potentially less invasive, more convenient therapy for patients and physicians. AU-011 is currently in clinical development phase 2 and the company plans to expand the clinical program to choroidal metastasis.
About Columbus Venture Partners
Columbus Venture Partners is a Spanish independent venture capital that brings a unique approach for investing in outstanding early-stage and high growth opportunities in the life science and biotech industry. Columbus VP supports the most innovative science that arises in researching centers and start-ups and it comes along with in its development until its commercialization of new products and treatments that offer effective solutions for unmet medical needs. Columbus VP manages almost 235M€ allocated in its funds Columbus INNVIERTE Life Science, Columbus Life Science Fund II y Columbus Life Sciences Fund III; and in its portfolio companies find Viralgen (Gene Therapy CDMO). Columbus’ professional team combines a solid scientific, medical and business corporate knowledge with a wide experience in business biotech field.
For more information visit, www.columbusvp.com