Solarea Bio, a clinical-stage biotechnology company based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, has announced a first closing of $15 million in a Series B financing led by S2G Ventures. The company focuses on developing food-derived microbial-based solutions to aid human health. The funds raised will be allocated to the commercial launch of two medical foods designed for the dietary management of bone health and rheumatoid arthritis.
Solarea has developed its platform to characterize beneficial microbes that naturally colonize fresh fruits and vegetables, which it has developed into rationally designed symbiotic consortia called Defined Microbial Assemblages (DMAs). These DMAs have been validated for their efficacy in several disease models. Their first product, SBD111, has already demonstrated significant bone maintenance in a mouse model of postmenopausal osteoporosis.Their second product, SBD121, is designed to aid in the dietary management of rheumatoid arthritis and will enter human study this year. Solarea is building a pipeline of other products leveraging the deep understanding of the interactions of DMATM products with the immune system.
Gerardo V Toledo, CEO and co-founder of Solarea Bio, said, “We are very excited to see the rapid progression from our founding hypothesis: that microbes from fresh fruits and vegetables have health benefits, to the clinical validation stage, and the upcoming commercial launches.”
The company is building a best-in-class strain catalog of bacteria and fungi, a database of their genomes, and a computational platform to mine them to develop products across a range of categories including supplements, medical foods, pharmaceuticals, and agriculture.
Matthew Walker, Managing Director and board member of S2G Ventures, said, “Solarea Bio embodies attributes S2G Ventures seek in the companies we invest, including an incredibly dedicated team, a clear vision to create products with a positive impact in our society, and a path to commercialize them.” Neal Bhadkamkar, General Partner at Bold Capital Partners and board director, added, “Looking farther out, the company’s rich database and strain library positions it to introduce a stream of future products addressing other important health conditions.”
Image provided by Solarea Bio
